After the War
by Rita Arabella Black
Summary: Charlie’s just come back from a rather harrowing adventure fighting dark magic with a wizard army in Mexico. Charlie missed a month of Quidditch training camp. He had a real good excuse for missing, but he’s not sure the owners are going to buy his story.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: In my little world Charlie Weasley lives in America, plays professional Quidditch and during the off season, he works at the only dragon preserve in America. He also helps his friends fight dark magic. Charlie's just come back from a rather harrowing adventure fighting dark magic with a wizard army in Mexico. Charlie missed a month of Quidditch training camp. He had a real good excuse for missing, but he's not sure the owners are going to buy his story. He also has a reporter on his ass who's more than a little pissed off at him. Charlie's got a couple of secrets he doesn't want the reporter to find out about, but she is very persistent. More than a one-shot. --Rita**

_Based on characters created by J. K. Rowling_

Chapter 1—Conditions

Charlie moved in with his friend Travis Davis, because, as of this minute, he was technically unemployed. He'd left the preserve to go on his little adventure fighting an evil dark wizard named Ares (Real Name: Herman Figg) in the mountains and desert of Mexico. He was hoping to talk to the director of the preserve about returning after Quidditch season, _IF_ he managed to get his job back with the Flying American Red Dragons Quidditch Club. He'd missed a month of training camp. Before he left for his adventure, he wrote to the coach, Dmitri Popov and explained where he was going and why. He knew Coach Popov would understand because he was from Europe and had experienced firsthand the effects of dark magic. The owners of the Reds were Americans and, until recently, had never known that evil existed. Hopefully, the Secretary of Magic, Silas Roundtree would make good on his promise to put in a good word for Charlie with the team.

The other problem Charlie faced was a string of very bad publicity. In order to draw Ares into the final showdown, he had to bring him out of hiding. Ares read the smutty celebrity tabloids, so Charlie created a sensational story of drunken debauchery which the tabloids were only too happy to print. The ploy worked, but now Charlie had to live with the fact that everyone thought he had gone to rehab, then relapsed. Well, he thought, it was important that his friends and family knew the truth. Now the press wouldn't leave him alone, especially Linda Martinez, the one who had written the original story. He had been such an asshole to her that he knew she would never let the story go.

The press thought Charlie was avoiding training camp because he was trying to get a better contract. They called him all kinds of names and accused him of being a _prima donna_. The truth was, Charlie would pay them to play Quidditch. He played the game because he loved it. If he wasn't able to get his job back as seeker, he decided that either he would beg for a spot on the second team or try to play for another team, even semi-pro or minor league team.

He requested an interview with one of the owners, a colorful wizard by the name of Guy Bingly. Guy like Charlie a lot, but he was first and foremost a business man. His favorite quote of Bingly's was, "Son, if you're going to fuck me in the ass, you'd better kiss me first." Charlie could imagine his reaction when he accepted the interview.

Charlie woke up especially early that day he was to meet with the owners. He dressed carefully conservatively and even let Travis give him a haircut. He was too distracted to eat breakfast, deciding to visit his friends and fellow team-mates, Joanna and Jordan Kingsley, instead. Joanna was back as chaser after having given birth to their first daughter, Kayleigh. Jordan was the team's keeper, one of the best in the league. He had played previously for the Hamilton (Ontario) Horntails as seeker, but took over as keeper when he transferred to the Reds.

It was still too early for practice when Charlie flew to the gates outside the training camp. The security officer recognized Charlie and let him in immediately after being assured that he had an appointment. The team had not barred him from coming in and that was a very good sign.

Charlie wandered to down to the practice pitch. Coach Popov and Jordan were already on the field for their morning flying. Jordan spotted Charlie and flew down immediately. Popov saw him, but stayed in the air.

"Charlie!" cried Jordan. "Welcome back." He embraced his friend. "We were so worried about you. I'm glad everything turned out well." Jordan knew exactly where Charlie had been and what he was doing. Both he and Joanna were members of the same secret society as Charlie, the Society of Fred, founded by Travis and others and named for Charlie's brother.

"Joanna's going to freak now that you're finally back." He said.

"Where is she?" Charlie asked.

"Oh, she's with Kayleigh. She spends as much time as possible. We have a nanny now, which is perfect. She's able to play and we know Kayleigh's in good hands.

"So, you're coming back, aren't you?" Jordan asked, concerned.

Charlie shrugged. "I hope so. Do the owners know the real story?" No one had told him yet whether Silas Roundtree had informed the owners of Charlie's role in the defeat of Ares. "What if they buy the bull shit story the press is feeding them?"

"I wouldn't worry about it. The team, well, except for Ryan, is on your side." Ryan was the second seeker who was now enjoying the top stop. He wasn't going to be happy if Charlie got his old job back. "Joanna and I won't play if you don't come back." He said matter-of-fact.

"Don't screw up your careers because of me. I'm a big boy. I knew what I was doing when I walked away. I understand perfectly. It's the team that matters, Jordan, not me. There are a hundred seekers out there that can do my job." Charlie was sincere. He always believed in the team before himself.

Charlie looked at the time and blanched. He had to hurry in order to make it to Bingly's office. Jordan wished him luck and asked him to come back after the meeting. As Charlie walked away from the pitch, he looked up and saw that Coach Popov had stopped flying and was watching him, expressionless as always. Charlie gave him a wave and Popov nodded and returned to his flying regimen.

At the front office, Charlie saw there was a lobby full of reporters waiting on him. Shit, he thought, this is not a good sign. He stood up straight and opened the door and was instantly bombarded with flash bulbs popping, and people pushing into him asking questions he didn't understand. He smiled and nodded patiently as he pushed his way to the receptionist's area. The cute receptionist, Gwendolyn smiled at him and stood up and led him into Guy's office.

Guy was standing up looking out the window when Charlie entered. He didn't turn around, but said, "Hello, Charlie."

"Guy," Charlie said. Bingly turned around. He was smoking one of his expensive cigars. He knocked some of the ashes into the floor and looked at Charlie expressionless. He was sizing him up. Bingly never said anything off the cuff. He knew exactly what he wanted to say and how he was going to say it.

"Have a seat, Charlie." The motioned to the chair in front of his huge desk.

"Thank you, sir." He said politely. Neither said a word for the longest time, each waiting on the other to speak. Finally, Charlie cleared his throat. "Guy, I want to come back and play this season. I know I've missed a month of practice, and I know I don't deserve first team."

Bingly raised an eyebrow and kept smoking. He picked a piece of tobacco off his tongue and stared at Charlie. He brushed some ash off the front of his shirt. "I've had a bunch of people come talk to me about you, Charlie. Everybody seems to think you deserve another chance. Coach Popov said you should be allowed to come back. Hell, even Silas Roundtree popped in the other day, asking me to give you a break. Said something about you doing something to save millions of people, but he wouldn't tell me what it was. Some big secret mission somewhere."

Charlie nodded. "Something like that," he said. Charlie sat back.

"Don't suppose you would tell me either, would you?" he asked.

Charlie shook his head. "Sorry."

"You going to ask me for more gold?" he asked him looking at him squarely. Charlie noticed that Bingly looked angry or pissed off at him.

"No sir," he said quietly. "It's never been about the gold. And I would have been here otherwise. But I can't talk about where I was or what I did. I'm sorry, Guy. I would tell you if I could."

"You were out partying and having a good time. The press sure was able to find you." He was mad now. "What's this bullshit about you staying away to re-negotiate your goddamn contract?"

Charlie shook his head. "I had to tell them something. Look, Guy, I'm sorry if I embarrassed the club or you. That was not my intent."

"I'm supposed to just let you back in? No harm no foul, right? You don't want a raise and you are willing to go to the second team. Is that what you're telling me?"

Charlie nodded. "Yes, sir." Charlie rubbed his sweating hands on his pants.

"Either you're the stupidest wizard I've ever seen or you have some of the biggest balls." He blew out a smoke ring. "Okay, Weasley, here's the deal. We want you back, but you're going to be on a two game suspension, and you have to go to rehab for real and you're going to be doing some community service. No more drinking binges and no more stupid stunts, you got that? And we're going to fine you for missing practice. But we think you deserve a raise for the World Cup championship. The legal counselors are working on a new contract."

Charlie stood up and shook his hand. "Thank you, sir."

"We're having a press conference later on this afternoon and I expect you to be there. Get your equipment and get your ass out there on the field. You have a lot to make up for. And don't worry about the rehab, we've made arrangements for you to go to outpatient counseling starting in a week. Don't fuck up again, Charlie. Next time I'm not going to be so nice. And go out the back way. I don't want you talking to reporters until the press conference." He pointed to a wall away from the door.

Charlie went out the back way and took some stairs that lead to the practice pitch. The team was in the dressing room getting ready for practice. Charlie walked in and everyone turned and looked at him. An enormous yell erupted and he was surrounded by the players who embraced him and pounded him on the back, welcoming him back. Charlie was speechless. He hadn't expected such a welcoming. He walked to his locker and put on his uniform. Before he had the chance to talk to anyone privately, the whistle sounded and the players scrambled to the field.


	2. Chapter 2 The Press Conference

_Based upon characters created by J. K. Rowling_

Chapter 2--The Press Conference

This was the most grueling practice Charlie had ever hand in his professional Quidditch career. He had a month to make up, to prove himself worthy to start. His two game suspensions did not count during the pre-season, so Charlie was expected to be ready for Sunday's match between the first and second teams. Charlie figured would be playing for the second team since Ryan Smith had been elevated to first team status.

It was obvious to everyone around that Charlie had lost none of his talent and was as quick and sure as ever; he played as well as he ever did, and seemed to have more focus and determination. They also noticed that he had lost some of his cockiness; that he seemed to be more serious. Jordan and Joanna knew it had more to do with his experience in the desert than being chastised and given a suspension.

The whole team and the coaching staff were expected to attend the press conference after the day's practice. It was the typical first of the season bullshit session. The Reds had a lot to be proud of, having won the World Quidditch Cup this year. There were no new players or other changes, so everyone was hoping for a nice quiet press conference. The PIO staff made sure there were plenty of snacks and drinks, which seem to appease the sports reporters. They were suckers for the snacks and for the Chief Public Information Officer, Dixie Malthune, who could charm the pants off any reporter; the male ones, anyway. Her half-Veela charm didn't seem to work on the female celebrity reporters who always seemed to crash the perfectly typical sports-orientated event.

This year the celebrity bitches, as Joanna called them, would be there, no doubt. With Charlie's luck, probably _all _of them will show up. He would have bet a week's pay that Linda Martinez would be there ready to pounce on him. She was the one he pissed off to begin with.

The team came in first. Charlie sat with Joanna and Jordan and the two beaters, Lee West and Jason Monroe. Both beaters were happy that Charlie was back because they loathed Ryan Smith. The team was followed by the coaching staff, which consisted of the Head Coach, and the second team coach, Evan Brinkley. Evan was a former player of the Artic Circle team, the Polar Bears. He had played and coached for 10 years before being hired by the Reds.

Guy Bingly usually had some words of wisdom for the players before he let in the press. His words were generally short and sweet and to the point. He thanked the players for a great season last year and was hoping to repeat it this year.

When he finished, the press was allowed in. Everyone turned to watch and groaned audibly as a stream of celebrity reporters moved quickly to the front seats. There were three national Quidditch reporters, including a representative of WWN (America) and several local reporters. Linda Martinez, wearing her signature yellow walked in confidently and looked around. Charlie smiled at her and waved pleasantly. She raised her eyebrow and pursed her lips. She looked like she had taken a bite of something sour.

"What exactly did you do to her?" Joanna whispered in Charlie's ear.

"Long story, but I think I've done worse." He shrugged. "I was pretty crude," he admitted. "She didn't take it very well. The witch has no sense of humor."

"Didn't you fuck her one time?" Joanna asked, still looking at Linda.

Charlie nodded. "Twice."

"And she didn't want you again? _Bitch."_ Joanna said.

"I know, right?" He looked at Linda again. "I really should apologize. She's a nice person."

Joanna rolled her eyes and looked away. "You did what you had to do. I just wish you could tell people where you were and what you did. You're a hero."

Charlie's expression turned dark. "No," he said quietly. "I'm not."

Joanna looked at her friend. Something happened to Charlie while he was fighting in the desert; something so horrible that he wouldn't even tell _her._ Joanna was Charlie's best friend, and there was nothing he wouldn't tell her. Except what he did that was so terrible he refused to talk about it. She was not normally the kind of person who let go of things; trying to worm out all the grisly details. But one look at Charlie's face when he returned from the war, told her not to ask.

Dixie Malthune was finished handing out the press releases and packages. Including in the press packages were some promotional items and an updated biography of each player.

Once Dixie opened up the floor to questions, the first question on everyone's mind was who was going to start for the first team in Sunday's exhibition game. Coach Popov stood up and said, "I'll tell you Saturday. Don't bother with bullshit questions." He said in his thick Bulgarian accent.

"Come on, Coach. Weasley's missed a month of practice. Are you seriously telling us that he may start on Sunday with the first team?" One the Quidditch reporters asked.

"Vhat did I say?" Popov said impatiently. "You vern't listening?" He snorted loudly. "Charlie's been starter for three years now. He showed good promise in practice today. I said I'll tell everybody on Saturday."

A reporter who from one of the local newspapers jumped up. "So, Charlie' where've you been? Rumor has it you were staying away for more gold. Care to comment?" Every eye turned to him.

Charlie looked up and shook his head. "I don't have anything to say except I'm happy to be here. There's not another place on this planet I would rather be."

"So you're not going to dispel the rumors?" Another reporter asked.

Again, Charlie shook his head. He didn't smile or try to charm them as he normally would. He lowered his head and looked at the floor. This was not the Charlie Weasley everyone knew.

Linda looked at him. He usually joked and kidded with everyone. She thought immediately what he'd said to her in the bar in Mexico. Something about rehab. Was that where he was, she wondered. She raised her gloved hand daintily.

"Oh fuck," said Charlie under his breath.

"Is there any truth to the rumor that Charlie was forced to go to drug and alcohol treatment?" she asked.

Guy Bingly turned several shades of red. "Nonsense." He said testily.

"But Guy, she implored. "He's been gone for months and then he turns up in a seedy bar in Mexico, drunk on his ass admitting to _me_ personally that he'd been in rehab."

"Was that a question, lady?" he asked. Guy Bingly did not want to spend the entire news conference talking about Charlie Weasley. He had the whole team to promote.

Dixie managed to get things back on track. Something Charlie and Guy were grateful for. She managed to dazzle while side stepping the unusually rude questions about the team's seeker. She was in her element and Charlie decided she was worth whatever obscene amount of gold she was paid.

Charlie was able to slip away, just barely, when the _inquisition_ was finally over. He went back to the pitch for more practice. He practiced until dark, then switched to the nighttime practice snitch; it flashed light intermittently, so he was able to stay past midnight. He had a lot of making up to do.

When he finally landed and was headed back with his broom slung across his shoulders, he came face-to-face with Linda who had obviously been waiting for him.

"Enjoy watching me, do you?" he asked casually. "I'm glad you waited around. I wanted to tell you something."

Linda looked at him closely. Even in the dark he was magnificent. "New tattoo?" She asked, pointing to a tribal band around his muscular arm. She touched it gingerly.

Charlie looked at the band around his arm and shrugged. "Yeah, a little souvenir from my trip to Mexico."

The tattoo was a symbol of E_l Ejército de la Justa, _the army of the righteous, the army he fought with and led while he was in the desert. This army had defeated Ares's wizard army. They had fought a secret war; had they lost, Ares's army would have taken control of the wizard population, bringing in an era of dark and evil magic. But thanks to E_l Ejército de la Justa_, both the wizard and muggle population remained ignorant of Ares's plans for the domination and subjugation of North America.

Both the Mexican and American Departments of Magic decided that telling people about the war wouldn't be in anyone's best interest. Both departments had praised and rewarded the army, but the rest of what happened would remain a secret.

"You like it?" he asked her playfully.

She gave him a haughty look, but then said, "May I take a picture of it?" she asked. A camera appeared out of thin air.

"Be my guest." He flexed his muscle, showing off the tattoo.

Linda looked at him incredulously after she took a number of pictures. "That was nice of you." She said. "I didn't expect you to talk to me."

Charlie grinned. "Yes, well. I owe you an apology, actually. I acted like a real asshole and I'm sorry." He shrugged and looked at the ground.

"What's wrong with you, Charlie?" she asked, suddenly concerned.

"Nothing," he grinned again. "I just wanted to apologize to you. Shit, Linda, I'm not a total son of a bitch. You always seem to think the worst of me and I admit that's probably my fault. Well," he paused. "I have to take a shower and get to bed."

He began walking toward the dressing room. She followed him.

"You want to go out for a drink?" she boldly asked him as he turned into the rest room.

He looked at her, thinking about her offer, and then shook his head. "I have a curfew. But some other time, sure, I'd love to." She began following him into the rest room.

"Just one more question," she said touching his shoulder as he turned away from her. He looked at her expectantly. She moved in quickly and suddenly she was kissing him. He responded by wrapping his arms around her pulling her in closer. Then just as quickly, he pushed her away, leaving her standing as he walked into the men's shower. He waved absently to her.

She thought about following him, but decided against it. There was something different about Charlie and she was going to find out what it was.


	3. Chapter 3 1st vs 2nd

**A/N: I wanted this chapter to be on Charlie's time in rehab but I got into the Quidditch match and I really didn't want this chapter to be too long. I am indulging myself with the first team versus second team ****first****, then I'll get back to business. Thanks for allowing my wandering, I think it is complementary, but we shall see. Rita**

_Based on characters created J. K. Rowling_

Chapter 3—First versus Second

Saturday's announcement by Coach Popov of who would start for the first team came as a big disappointment to the first team players. Charlie was starting on the second team. The second team, who had not won a scrimmage with the first team in three years, was ecstatic.

Charlie took the news with the same good humor as he always did. He was just glad that he was playing. Joanna clewed her fingernails nervously and bitched for an hour while the beaters, Lee and Jason swore loudly. Charlie knew that everyone would play their hearts out during the game.

Saturday evening, Charlie went out to dinner with Joanna and Jordan. He was more normal with his two dearest friends than he was with anyone else. He sat, drinking tequila, watching Joanna and Jordan flirt with each other. He was happy for them. Every time he saw them together he thought about what it would like if he settled down with one woman. He came very close to getting engaged when he returned from the desert, but he successfully dodged that killing curse when his muggle girlfriend, Jessica, said he was happy the way things were, and didn't want to get married.

"It sucks," Charlie said after a time. "I have to go to rehab. I wish there was a way to get out of it but it's been written into my contract. Speaking of, did you guys get a raise?" He downed the last of his drink.

Jordan nodded happily. "Their appreciation for winning the World Quidditch Cup and a job well done. Did you?"  
"Yes. Nice one, too," he said holding his glass up for the bartender to send him another drink.

Joanna agreed. "Paid for the nanny," she said holding her glass up as well.

"I think I'm going to set up some kind of foundation promoting wizard schooling. Since I make enough gold to fund a small country, I thought I'd put it to good use. And I think I'm going to build myself a house," he said, nodding to himself.

"That sounds good. So, when do you start rehab?" Joanna asked.

Charlie took another drink. "Monday," he said dismally. "After practice. Thirty days of bull shit."

"You're lucky. Andrew McClennan got sent to a residential treatment facility; nearly drove him mad." Jordan said, shaking his head.

"Americans sure look at drinking differently than us Brits," Joanna said.

"Yeah, but I guess Guy had to do something. He had to face the board room tight asses," Jordan said. "I heard some of the owners were ready to fire you after hearing that you were 're-negotiating' your contract by not reporting to camp."

"Well, that was one of the stupidest things I've said _lately_." Charlie admitted.

"Yeah, _lately,_" Joanna agreed. "Well, excuse me, gents; I've got to go to the loo." Joanna made her way through the crowded restaurant and half way there, someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned and was surprised to see a very angry woman glaring at her.

"May I help you?" she asked, brushed the woman's hand off her.

"You should be ashamed of yourself," the woman said nastily.

Joanna rounded on her. "_Excuse me?"_ she said, rolling her head

Joanna put on her most determined, 'fuck you' face. "What the fuck are you talking about, bitch?" She asked in the most bellicose tone a five-feet-nothing witch could muster. "Bugger off!"

The woman looked at her astonished and then flushed furiously. "I – I'm, um, I just meant, uh…"

"_Bitch,_" she said sardonically. "Why don't you mind your own fucking business, and back the fuck off." Joanna said pointing her finger in the woman's face. She got a little too loud and was drawing attention from the customers who stopped eating and stared at her.

Joanna rolled her eyes, shook her head and turned away, walking back to their table.

"Damn," Charlie said admiringly when she came back to the table. "You're a snarky little bitch, aren't you?"

Joanna laughed. "Another place we won't be allowed back in. Sorry, honey." She said kissing her husband lightly on his nose. "I've embarrassed myself enough. Can we _please_ go?"

"Absolutely," Jordan said downing the last of his drink. He slammed the glass down hard, then slung his wife over his shoulder and they walked out of the restaurant together.

"Well, big day tomorrow," Jordan said, gently putting his wife down on the ground. "I think we've created enough excitement for one day.

"Charlie, I'm so glad your back. I missed the hell out of you. See you tomorrow."

They said their good-byes outside the restaurant, Charlie kissing Joanna and embracing Jordan. "Good luck tomorrow," he said lightly. "You're going to need it. I'll see you." Charlie apparated outside the gates of the Reds training camp and made his way to the dorms. Once again he had his own room. He settled in, wrote a letter to his mother and then went to bed, drifting off into a thankfully dreamless sleep.

Charlie woke up well before dawn the next day. He dressed quickly, grabbed his broom and was headed toward the Quidditch pitch. He needed his morning workout. He felt most free when he was in the air; flying with the wind in his face. He was happiest during this time of the morning, when it was quiet and he had time to think. No one, except Coach Popov made it out to the pitch that early.

Charlie had never seen Evan Brinkley out on the pitch before a game. He was a different type of man. He worked the team hard, but Charlie didn't believe he had the same heart that Coach Popov had. After an hour in the air, Charlie saw his coach walk out on the playing field. He was talking to the second team's beaters and when he saw Charlie, he motioned for him to land.

"Just wanted to make sure you are ready for the game today," he said to the beaters and him. The beaters, Sheila and Sam Battle, were brother and sister. They were good beaters, but inexperienced. They had been in the reserves for two years and had been on the second team for a little over a year. They looked a little nervous.

"Yes, Coach," Charlie said dutifully. "I'm ready."

Sam and Sheila nodded simultaneously. "Can't wait."

"Good. Keep the goddamn bludger away from Charlie, okay?" he said. "Especially when he's after the Golden Snitch."

"Yes, Coach," they said together.

"And you, Weasley. Take the Snitch early if you can. I don't think the chasers will be able to score unless you," he pointed at Sam and Sheila. "Keep the bludger on Kingsley. Understand?"

"Yes, sir." They chimed.

As usual, the stands started filling with diehard fans by 8 o'clock for a game was scheduled to start at noon. The players interacted with the fans; signed autographs and spent time talking with them. The Reds' fans were very important to the club. They remained loyal throughout the good times and the bad. The team was extremely grateful for the many that showed up on game day.

Charlie looked up in the stands and was pleased to see Travis, Travis's friend Curtis, Travis's sister, Amanda, and Charlie's good friend from the dragon preserve Ricardo Sanchez. He had served with Ricardo in the war in the desert and it was Ricardo that recruited him in E_l Ejército de la Justa_. He waved and then flew up to talk to them. It was obvious that Amanda and Ricardo were together and that made Charlie smile. Charlie felt like he was still in school the way Amanda and Ricardo went through him to gauge the other's feelings toward the other. Charlie knew it was just a matter of time before they finally got together.

"It's good to see you flying, man," Ricardo said.

"It's good to see me flying, too, Boo," Charlie agreed. "I wasn't so sure this would happen."

"Do you have any plans after the game?" Travis asked. "If you're not doing anything why do you come back to the house and I'll cook a nice dinner."

"That sounds great, but I have a strict curfew. Real soon, I promise, though." He looked around. "I've got to go. Thanks again for coming. I'll see you after the game." He signed a few more autographs for the people milling around Travis's boxed seats and flew down to the other side of the pitch to join his team mates.

The game wasn't as short as Evan Brinkley would have wanted, but it only lasted two hours. The first team scored eleven times against the team making the score 110 to nothing. Jordan was phenomenal at stopping any quaffle heading toward the goals he was protecting. Joanna, Alicia, and Iris, the chasers were brilliant. The first team's beaters were reluctant at first to direct the bludger toward Charlie, but finally they got into the game and almost knocked him off his broom a couple of times. Lee and Jason stayed focused and kept the second team keeper, Scott Johansson dodging bludgers, allowing for the 11 goals.

But it was Charlie who saved the day for the second team. He captured the Golden Snitch easily away from Ryan Smith in a little over two hours. Charlie felt fortunate that the first team hadn't scored more than they did because his team could have just as easily lost even if he had captured the Golden Snitch. He ended the game before Joanna or the others could score any more goals.

The second team went crazy after the whistle blew marking the end of the game. The crowd cheered wildly. The first team converged on Charlie, congratulating him on the win. Everyone was happy except Ryan, who slunk away from the crowd, heading back to the dressing room alone.

When both teams landed, the two coaches were waiting for them, along with Guy Bingly.

"You all played like world champions," Guy said proudly. The two coaches had their heads together, ignoring Bingly. They were discussing various strategies. Popov commented on the second team beaters; they were dreadful; mindless idiots. Unfortunately Sheila and Sam heard him and they both burst into simultaneous tears. Popov gave them both disgusted looks. Charlie knew that the coaches were talking about him, but he couldn't make out the words. Bingly finished talking and then joined in on the conversation. Joanna was crossing her fingers and her legs, praying that Charlie would be pulled to the first team.

The two teams were dismissed to mingle with the fans and no decision about Charlie was made. Charlie flew up to visit Travis and the others. The other fans sitting around Travis's box seats stayed around, too, hoping to hear something from Charlie about his status. There were a lot of pictures taken, and the celebrity press was there. They were supposed to hang out in the team's dressing room, but apparently they thought there was a better story with Charlie. He posed for pictures and signed more autographs and listened to the fans tell him how great he was. He thanked everyone for attending and merely shrugged when they asked him when he'd be back on the first team.

Charlie invited his friends to the giant buffet that the team's kitchen staff prepared. Amanda was a little star struck because she was a huge Reds fan. Ricardo spoke with Jordan and Joanna and got a chance to play with baby Kayleigh. Kayleigh, who was a metamorphmagus, squealed excitedly when Ricardo picked her up and her hair turned turquoise. Her reaction to Charlie was just as dramatic; her hair turned bright red, which led to speculations from the duller members of the press that Charlie was actually her father. For her daddy, though, Kayleigh's hair was always egg yolk yellow; her happy color.

The rest of the afternoon and evening went as well as the morning. This was the first time in a long time that Charlie spent a relaxing afternoon with friends. It didn't matter to him what the bosses were going to tell him about his place on the team. He was playing Quidditch. If he stayed with the second team, he would still be playing Quidditch but not with his friends and not with the same intensity as the first team and maybe not with the same amount of publicity, which to him was a good thing. Getting away from the limelight would suit him just fine. He never wanted to be a super star; he just wanted to play the game.

He said good-bye to his friends with the promise of visiting them soon. He grabbed the stack of mail the mail goddess, Rhonda, had separated for him; divided by 'you're the greatest Quidditch player in the world', 'I love you', and 'you suck.' There was more 'you suck' mail than usual, but that was to be expected. At the bottom of the stack, Rhonda had written a short note welcoming him back. He read each piece and answered every letter. The people that took the time to write, even the mean ones, he thought, deserved a personal reply.

He went to bed early, thinking about what lay ahead. Practice, then beginning counseling. He wasn't sure what to expect, but he was committed to completing the program. No matter what.


	4. Chapter 4 30 in 30

_Based on characters created by J. K. Rowling_

Chapter 4—30 in 30

After practice on Monday evening, Charlie headed for the showers. He was running late to his first private counseling session required for him to keep his job. He wasn't exactly sure why the owners insisted that he attend drug and alcohol counseling, but he agreed to it. He was required by his contract to attend 30 sessions for a period of 30 days, and then he would be let off the hook.

Gwendolyn, the executive assistant to Guy Bingly, gave Charlie the address and instructions that he was to report to the counselor for a one-on-one session, followed by what was described by Gwendolyn as "peer counseling." Charlie had no idea what that meant, but he reported right on time to the counselor's office, holding the piece of paper Gwendolyn gave him.

He handed the piece of paper to the receptionist's desk and smiled his most charming Weasley smile.

"Good evening," he said happily. "I have an appointment with, uh," he looked at the card Gwendolyn gave him, "Anne Rush. I'm Charlie Weasley."

The receptionist looked up quickly. She was used to celebrities coming in through the back door. She knew him. He was that Quidditch player who had a very public meltdown in a bar in Mexico. The receptionist smiled warmly.

"Hello, Mr. Weasley. Welcome to Peaceful Gardens. My name is Lynn." She handed him a stack of papers and a clipboard. She pointed to a comfortable chair across from her desk.

Charlie took the clipboard and the papers and sat down to write the biographical information. The walls of the office were littered by what he figured were wise phrases having to do with recovery and one day at a time.

He looked at the questionnaire carefully. Some of the questions were quite personal, but he filled them out dutifully.

"When is the last time you drank alcohol or abused a potion?" he read aloud. He wrote in, _Yesterday._

"Describe the substance." _Amber coloured._

"How much did you take?" _One bottle._

"What is your drug of choice?" _Mescal (muggle)_

"Have you taken any of the following?" There was a list of about 50 potions and types of alcohol listed. Charlie went through the list and check off the ones listed. There was only one potion on the list he had even heard of, and he actually was given a dose by a friend of his when he was a teenager. It made him sick and he threw up for two days, so he never took that potion again, but he checked the box next to the potion.

He answered all the questions to the best of his ability and provided emergency contact information and next of kin. He'd rather his mother not know he was going to counseling because she would worry too much. His father, however, would think it was about damn time.

When he handed the clip board back to Lynn, she told him that he would be screened for alcohol use. He wasn't exactly sure how that was done, but he was informed it was the muggle way, whatever that meant. Lynn handed him an empty cup with a screw on lid.

"We're going to need a sample," she said.

Charlie looked at her and at the bottle. "A sample of what?" he asked dumbly.

"Urine," she said.

"Mine?" he asked, not understanding what she meant.

"Of course, _yours_, Mr. Weasley." She said slightly bemused.

"My what?" He was totally confused.

"Urine, Mr. Weasley," she said enunciating carefully, slightly irritated. "We need a urine specimen."

Charlie blushed and laughed. "Oh, piss. Okay. I thought you were saying _your-in, _like yours. I'm sorry. I misunderstood." Lynn was not laughing. "Okay. What, here?"

Lynn pointed to the restroom. "An aide has to watch."

"Sure," he said. "I can leave the door open for you," he said helpfully.

"No, a male attendant will observe." She pushed a button on her desk. She was thinking that Quidditch players had to be the dumbest souls on earth.

Charlie waited patiently until a young man appeared from a closed door. Charlie followed him obediently into the tiny rest room. Charlie peed in the cup, screwed on the lid and set it down on a tray. The attendant magicked the cup to another room. He was told to sit and wait on Ms Rush.

While Charlie waited on the counselor, he read over the material that was included in the "recovery packet." The ante room was empty, so Charlie was not disturbed, but he was bored. Waiting patiently was never Charlie's strong suit.

Finally a middle aged woman looking at a chart leaned on the door. "Mr. Weasley? I'm Anne Rush."

Charlie jumped up and shook her hand. She escorted him into her office and told him to sit down. He waited while she sat down behind her desk.

Charlie spent an uncomfortable hour answering her questions. He tried to be honest, but he got the idea she wasn't impressed with him. Anne explained that the rest of the counseling sessions would be in a group setting with peer counselors.

"Oh great," he said shaking his head.

Anne took Charlie to a larger room where a meeting was already in progress. The group made an effort to make him feel welcome. He immediately didn't like a couple of the men in the group but he thought the women look more sympathetic. He sat down between two very pretty witches. Everyone seemed to recognize him, which made him more uncomfortable.

Everyone introduced themselves; first names only. After saying their name, each told the group what their addiction was. Most were addicted to unregulated potions, there was only one man in the group who said he was addicted to alcohol.

One of the reasons Charlie felt uncomfortable was that he honestly didn't think he was addicted to alcohol. He liked to drink but never considered his drinking to be a problem. His so called "melt down" in Mexico, as it was described was the result of trying to flush out Ares so he could fight him face to face. He thought his acting was a bit too convincing.

The others disagreed with his personal assessment and were convinced Charlie was in denial. He wasn't going to argue with them. He had to be there. The men seemed to relish in pointing out his flaws and label his partying as excessive and were less likely to believe his sincerity. The women, however, were mixed, but most offered the most support.

He kept looking at the time, and this was pointed out to him. Why was he in such a hurry? He was polite and respectful, more than some in the group were to him, but it was clear he was felt awkward.

The meeting thankfully ended with a coffee and donut social afterward where the members were supposed to bond and not be so hard-ass. Anne made sure he mingled as he was supposed to. Several of the women came up to talk to him during the social, offering comfort and praise and that he took the abuse with dignity. This was the way the meetings were supposed to go. It was supposedly total honesty and no bull shit.

Charlie sidled up to one of the prettier women who was decided what kind of donut to choose. He smiled at her and started to turn on the charm. She had been flirting with him earlier and he was anxious to talk to her.

"Hi," he said almost shyly. "You're Yvette, aren't you?"

She nodded, pushing a piece of hair behind her ear. "Yes," she said, surprised that he'd remembered her name in a group of twenty people. "You're Charlie, right?"

"That's right. You're very pretty, Yvette, I noticed you when I came in."

She seemed pleased. They stood awkwardly in front of the Krispy Kremes™ while the others were trying to get to the donuts. He finally laughed and pulled her away from the table.

"So," he said playfully. "Do you want to go somewhere for a drink?"

Yvette rolled her eyes, shook her head and walked away.

"What?" he said to her back as she hurried away from him.

"_Mr. Weasley," _said a scandalized voice behind him. Charlie turned around and saw Anne Rush coming toward him. "You really should take this more seriously." She looked angry.

"What?" he repeated. "The meeting's over."

"You've missed the whole point. The goal of this group is _abstinence._"

Charlie looked stunned. "You mean I can't drink anymore?"

"That is part of your recovery." She explained testily.

"Fuck that." He said. "I'm just supposed to come to these meetings; nobody told me I'd have to quit drinking."

Ann shook her head. "We have a lot of work to do, Mr. Weasley. I'll see _you_ tomorrow."

**A/N: My sincere apologies if I've insulted anyone who may be suffering from an addiction. I do think addiction is a serious problem; I'm merely pointing out Charlie's humanness. It was meant to be amusing; not a social commentary. Rita**


	5. Chapter 5 Another Day, Another Meeting

**A/N: I ****promise**** I'm not going to write 28 more chapters about Charlie's meetings. There's only one more chapter where I talk about his counseling. I'm really trying to get to my point and continue the story. This diversion is an important set up and I appreciate your indulgence. Thanks, Rita.**

_Based on characters created by J. K. Rowling_

Chapter 5—Another Day, Another Meeting

Charlie was absolutely clueless why the counselor and some of the "peers" were upset with him about hitting on the prettiest witch at the meeting. The meeting was over for God's sakes; it wasn't like he brought a bottle to mescal to the meeting and tried to pass it around. And the whole "no more drinking" surely didn't apply to him. All he had to do was go to the meetings every night for the next 29 days and he would be fine. Nobody said he couldn't drink any more. Guy Bingly said specifically, "drunken binges," and he never went on drunken binges anyway, well, not any more.

Charlie thought long and hard about the counseling sessions and decided that playing along would be in his best interest. He would go to the meetings, sit around quietly while his "peers" abused him verbally, and go home. He wouldn't lose his temper and he wouldn't say anything he'd regret or end up as fodder for the gossip magazines. He had a girlfriend, so he didn't need to be hitting on any of the women there either. His mind was fixed, determined that he could survive the cure.

He practiced with the second team. They were still pumped from the results of Sunday's match. Coach Brinkley worked the beaters harder than anyone else, and Charlie was left alone to practice with the trainer snitch. Most of the second team players didn't try to engage Charlie in conversation, because, they were sure, he wouldn't be with the team long enough to bond with them. He did try to engage them in conversation, but the only one who seemed not scared to death of him was Andrew McClennan, the former first team chaser.

The second team was scheduled to have an exhibition game with Sweetwater All-Stars second team tomorrow afternoon. He had to get permission from Anne to miss the meeting. He told Coach that he needed a note to get out of his meeting and he promised he'd talk to his counselor personally.

"Learning anything at the meetings, Weasley?" Andrew asked as they were breaking for lunch.

"Oh, sure, Andrew. Loads."

Andrew nodded sagely. "Yeah, me, too. I think counseling saved my life."

Charlie wasn't sure how to react to that. "Uh, great," he said.

As soon as walked in (early) to the meeting that evening, Anne told him that she had spoken to Coach Brinkley. He had the option of attending a later meeting (apparently they had meetings all hours day and night) or he could extend his commitment one more day. Charlie wasn't sure how long the game was going to last, but he would try to end the game quickly. He had no intentions of dragging this out any longer than he had to.

"I'll be here after the game. It shouldn't be too late. It's an afternoon scrimmage," he explained.

Anne decided he needed another one-on-one counseling session. She told him over and over how disappointed she was in his attitude. Wasn't he aware what his denial was doing to him? The questions she asked him got under his skin more than they did yesterday. Anne asked him how long he'd been drinking; whether it affected his day-to-day activities. Had he ever woken up in a strange place, not remembering how he got there?

"Well, there's that," he confessed. "I've woken up in a strange woman's bed before, with only a vague recollection of how I got there. Do you think that's significant? Since I don't really date any more, I don't think that's going to be a problem, though. That only happened maybe four times over the past three years."

"When's the last time it happened?" she asked, taking notes.

"The first time I slept with Diane Gentry," he said, remembering her warmly.

"The reporter?" Anne caught herself, but Charlie ignored her discomfort.

He nodded. "That was about two years ago." He held his head in his hands. Anne must have thought that Charlie was regretting his drunken lapse, but he was remembering how Ares killed her before he could save her. That's what he regretted. His regret was getting her involved with helping him the first time Ares threatened to take control.

"That was the last time?" Anne said, clearly not believing him.

"Yes," he said quietly looking down at the floor, staring at his shoes.

"How did that make you feel?" she asked, encouraging him to express his emotions.

"About what?" Surely she couldn't know about how Diane died because that too was glossed over by the Department of Magic.

"Waking up in bed with someone and not knowing how you got there," she said impatiently.

"Oh," he looked at her expression. "I don't know. It was a long time ago. Nervous I guess. I didn't know if she was married or had a boyfriend ready to kill me. At the time I just had to figure out how to get home. That's all I was thinking about. And I didn't want to burn any bridges, in case I met up with her again." He grinned.

"But how did that make you _feel?_" she emphasized.

He sighed audibly. "I didn't feel anything, just nervous, like I said."

"Didn't it bother you that you didn't know where you were, how you got there, or who you were in bed with?" Anne pressed.

Charlie looked at her cautiously. This is one of those times that he had to say something to make her happy. Yes, he was a terrible dick head; he regretted what he did. He learned his lesson. "Sure?" he said finally, making it sound like a question instead of an answer. He didn't know what else to say.

Anne closed her eyes. "You're still in denial." She looked at the time. "We'll talk more about it next time. They're waiting for you." She stood up and put her hand on the door, waiting on Charlie to get up.

"Great," he said, unenthusiastically, but he smiled and stood up and followed her into the other conference room.

Unfortunately, it looked like the number of "peers" had swelled to over twenty. He didn't know how they all fit in the small room, but there were chairs for everyone. Charlie sat down in a chair nearest the door. There were more clandestine looks to the back of the room and at him this time. The chairs were in rows this time, not a big circle like last night.

Charlie settled comfortably into his, "I'm listening and fascinated by every word you say look" that he generally reserved for women whose pants he was trying to get in to. He was able to discern certain buzz words to respond to so that no one could tell he wasn't really paying attention. He was quite the master at that look.

The facilitator for the meeting had everyone stand up and introduced themselves. He was one of the little pricks Charlie didn't like from the beginning. He was too skinny, too smug and too holier than thou. His name was Dale and he was an addict and alcohol abuser (_and an asshole, _Charlie supplied silently). He's been sober for 12 years (applause—Charlie applauded politely, too).

And, of course, Dale insisted that the introductions begin with Charlie. With all eyes on him, Charlie stood up. He smiled and said, "Hi, my name is Charlie," (_Hi, Charlie!)_ and he sat back down. The others looked at him expectantly but he folded his arms across his arms and put his feet in the empty chair in front of him. He looked at Dale with a killer look that said, _Go ahead, asshole._ Dale, who looked like he was going to say something, quickly closed his mouth and went on to the next person.

Toward the end of the meeting, Dale asked if anyone wanted to say anything, and for some reason the whole room shifted to Charlie, who was quite zoned out by this time. Charlie turned around to see if there was anyone behind him (there wasn't). He ignored the prying eyes and sat smiling, nodding his head slightly. Finally the heads turned away.

At the end of the meeting, he grabbed two donuts and a cup of coffee and headed for the exit. He got as far as opening the door when someone tapped him on the shoulder. Resigned, he turned around and came face-to-face with Dale.

"Going somewhere?" he asked, not pleasantly. "Can't you stay for 15 more minutes? It won't kill you to mingle with the plebeians, unless you think you're too good for all of this."

"I have to piss," Charlie said. "Now, please excuse me." He walked out the door, into the hall and disapparated.


	6. Chapter 6 Breakthrough

_Based on characters created by J. K. Rowling_

Chapter 6—Breakthrough

The game got a late start and didn't begin until after seven. Once it began, Charlie made short work of capturing the Golden Snitch in only forty minutes. It was what Charlie referred to as a "suicide" snitch, slow and easily captured. Fortunately Charlie had more experience and talent than Sweetwater's seeker. The final score was 150 – 0.

Charlie ate a quick dinner and grabbed a beer to wash down his dinner. He hurried got dressed and made it to Peaceful Gardens by nine thirty. There was a group just starting and Charlie slipped in quietly. Thank God Dale wasn't there and he didn't think he recognized any of the people in the group. It was smaller seemed to be more relaxed and they didn't seem so fucking serious.

The facilitator was a witch named Penny. She looked middle aged and she was slightly chubby and she wore her blond hair extremely short. Penny joked about her marriage and how it drove her to drink. Her ex-husband was a muggle who didn't understand magic. She said it was her husband that bewitched her, not the other way around. Charlie could relate to that.

She explained to the group that she thought she make her marriage work by giving up her witch self. She did muggle things, but it was killing her. She couldn't deny who she was so she started drinking. But the problem was, she was an addict and she found that starting drinking was easy, stopping was impossible. She got out of the relationship and then found sobriety.

There were so few people in the group that it didn't feel odd to feel a connection with them, and Penny was so likeable, Charlie found himself listening to her.

"I don't know if any of you have had experience with the non-magical, but that is the hardest relationship I have even been in. A lot of witches can handle it, thrive even, but I couldn't." Penny said. "We had six months of bliss. Unfortunately we were married for six years."

Charlie laughed out loud and Penny looked at him and smiled. "Ah, a new face. Hi there. Welcome to our group. We're kind of hodgepodge of different life experiences and addictions. We try to be more upbeat and positive. Not that we judge, but some people are just martyrs and take themselves way too seriously and it gets on our nerves. I hope you can get something out of this group and just speak up with you want to contribute. We're kind of the ADHD of all recovery groups."

"That's good to know, I've been rather beat up my last couple of meetings," he said.

She nodded. "Some people try to work your program for you. And I just hate the smugness of, 'I've had 20 minutes more sobriety than you and you have to listen to me, blah, blah." She laughed self consciously. "Enough about my insecurities. So, any of you had muggle relationships?"

Charlie looked around the room, then spoke up. "I am, uh was in a relationship with a muggle. She's an artist. God, she's so beautiful and I just couldn't seem to get enough of her. But she won't live in my world and I couldn't give up who I am. I still love her, though. We break up and get back together. We usually break up because of something stupid I've done. But our relationship is on my terms. We both like the spontaneity of it. When I want to see her, I go to her world. It's kind of one sided. "

"But that works for you, doesn't it?" Penny asked.

Charlie nodded. "It does, for both of us. I guess it's like I'm her surprise. She opens the door and there I am," he shrugged.

"That's wonderful. I wish my relationship had been like that. I was in an all or nothing situation and unfortunately he wasn't very tolerant. Thanks for sharing.

"You know, people can become addicted to all sorts of things; it doesn't have to be illegal, either. There are food addicts and sex addicts." The group laughed at that.

"And gambling," someone chimed in. Penny nodded.

"And sports. Also, some people are addicted to the rush of adrenaline they get when they do something dangerous," Penny continued. Again Charlie nodded. "Do you think that makes a person more reckless than the ordinary wizard?" She asked, addressing Charlie.

"It makes sense," he said. He thought about the risks he'd taken. People would call him reckless, but was the adrenaline something that drove him to take those risks? Several years ago, probably the answer to that was yes. Now, he wasn't so sure. Still, he'd done some crazy things just for fun. "I've probably done my share of stupid things just for the rush."

A young man sat up straight. "It's amazing that some of us live past twenty," he said.

The other man in the group nodded, "Amen to that," he said laughing.

Charlie laughed, too. "But, _it sounds like such a good idea at the time_. I am amazed, and so's my mum, for that matter, that my brother Bill and I made it to puberty. She put every hex known to wizards on me and Bill when we were young to protect us from ourselves. We were crazy."

Penny said, "It is that _fix_ you had to have. And that's what an addiction is. The urge is so strong you cannot just say no and walk away. It compels us and drives us to the brink of madness. Such is the life we live."

The room broke into a smattering of applause and a few "amen's".

"What is the difference between an addict and a user?" Charlie asked suddenly. "From what you're saying, there is a difference."

Penny's face was serious. "Absolutely. But it's an individual determination, or, in some of our cases, from society, when we don't recognize our addiction. And there's a fine line between love and obsession. Does that make any sense?"

"Yes, it does. It's like a compulsion. Right?" Charlie asked.

"Precisely. Compulsion is stronger than just a want." Penny laughed at his confused expression. "That's what I mean when I say that it's individual and just because I can't drink five bottles of beer, doesn't mean that it isn't perfectly fine for someone else. It's not my place to judge."

"But everyone assumes you're in denial if you don't think you've got a problem." Charlie said.

"That's true because we recognize the signs in others, but you can't work someone else's program." Penny said.

"But some people do." Charlie said quietly.

Penny nodded understanding. The room was quiet. "Anybody want to talk about anything else?" she asked.

"Sex addiction," said a woman's voice from the back "Can one be a sex addict for just one person?"

"I suppose so, but that sounds more like an obsession. A sex addict is addicted to the act itself, not really caring with whom." Penny explained.

No one had anything to say about that, probably too sensitive a subject for a mixed group, so Penny ended the meeting with, "Sorry no donuts, because some of us are food addicts, and we don't want to tempt fate. Thanks for coming and remember it works if you work it."

Charlie turned to leave, and he saw a blur of yellow hurry out the door. By the time he reached the outside, the person had already disappeared. He was sure it was Linda Martinez. He thought he had recognized the voice from the person who asked about sex addition, but he thought he was safe from reporters in the meetings.

Penny met him outside. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Charlie shook his head. "My past coming back to haunt me," he said cryptically. "Fuck.

"I enjoyed this meeting, though. Thanks." He said, more pleasantly than he felt.

"Thank you for coming and for sharing. Good luck with everything." Penny said before Charlie disapparated into the night.

Just as he predicted, the next morning, there was a copy of _Witches!_ someone had left in the dining room and an old picture of him, taken in Mexico was on the cover. Charlie picked up the magazine and read the article with Linda Martinez's by-line. The article was bitchy and scathing, having to do with his relationship and obsession with his muggle girlfriend; his arrogance of denial of his alcohol problem and us utter disregard for the feelings of others, especially his own mother. Everything he said at the meeting was twisted and perverse. If he had been within 10 feet of Linda Martinez, he was sure he would have murdered her.

Charlie walked angrily into Guy Bingly's office, rushing past a very surprised Gwendolyn. Guy didn't look too surprised to see him, but motioned him to sit down. He noticed the magazine in his hand and took it away from him to look at the cover.

"Good likeness," Guy muttered, throwing the magazine on top of his desk.

"Guy, she was at my meeting last night," he said, indicating the by-line. "I thought everything I said or didn't say was protected. This is bull shit."

"Yes it is," Guy said, agreeing with him. Charlie looked at him skeptically.

"Sincerely. I thought it was a safe place. They assured me that you wouldn't be hounded or bothered. This kind of bull shit negates the contract, doesn't it?"

Charlie looked at him, not understanding if he meant _his _contract. Was he being fired because of Linda Martinez? Now, he was certain he was going to murder her. Guy called to Gwendolyn to get in there. He needed to send an urgent message to Peaceful Gardens director, _now!_

Guy looked at Charlie and said, "Don't worry about this, son. We're going to take care of this. Get your ass to practice. We'll get back with you this morning."

When he got to the practice pitch, Coach Brinkley was waiting on him. The other players hadn't gotten started yet, but they were warming up.

"Hey Coach," Charlie said, starting to mount his broom.

Coach held up his hand and shook his head. "Congratulations, Charlie," he said, smiling. "You've been kicked upstairs. Report to Coach Popov right now."

Charlie let out a heavy sigh of relief. He stuck out his hand and shook the coach's hand. " Outstanding! It's been a pleasure, Coach. Thanks." He turned quickly away and flew off to the first team's practice pitch.

Later that morning, Charlie got word that he was no longer required to attend the alcohol treatment meetings. The fine, community service and suspension, however, were still going to be enforced.


	7. Chapter 7 In Service to the Community

_Based on characters created by J. K. Rowling_

Chapter 7—In Service to the Community

Charlie was delighted that he didn't have to worry about the meetings, but he still had to be concerned with the community service. There was no telling what Guy Bingly had up his sleeve, but no matter what, Charlie was ready to take his punishment. The fine had already been taken care of and the two game suspensions were looming in the not so distant future.

He was welcomed to the first team happily by the players. Ryan was still practicing with them because in a few weeks he would sit out the first two games of the season. Charlie practiced hard and helped out the other players where ever he was needed. He spent more time in the air before and after practice.

The second afternoon back, Charlie got a message that Guy wanted to see him pronto about his community service. He left practice and flew to the main headquarters building. He parked his broom with Gwendolyn and went into Guy's office. There were several people sitting around talking and Charlie recognized them as some of the other owners of the team.

"Charlie, you know everybody," Guy said, waving his hand around.

"Yes sir." He shook hands with several of the wizards and stood quietly until he was addressed again.

"We've decided to run a Quidditch camp for young witches and wizards and as part of your community service, you're going to help us out." Guy said.

Charlie looked at everyone who was looking at him. "Um, that sounds like a very good idea," he said sincerely. "It sounds like fun."

"Really?" asked one of the owners, Bryan Collins. He looked at Charlie skeptically.

"Yes sir. I think it's something I'd enjoy helping out." He said. He was thinking, _oh shit, why does this sound so easy? What are they __**not**__ telling me?_

"See," Guy said to the men seated around the room. "I told you he'd go for it."

"Why wouldn't I do it? You know how much I love Quidditch and helping young people learn the game is something I'd really like to do." Charlie was confused.

Guy laughed at his expression. "Nobody here thought you liked kids."

"Oh," Charlie laughed. "Well, there's that, but I like to coach. I like kids okay. I just don't want any of my own."

"The reserves coach is in charge of the logistics of the camp and there are going to be a weekend camp next weekend. There will be a sleep over, which you have to attend and the camp is going to last Friday through Sunday." Guy continued.

"Who's going to be helping besides me?" He asked. He was thinking that Lee and Jason would be interested in helping out. They had played Quidditch since they were both six, in a modified version of Quidditch were the brooms didn't fly any higher than four feet off the ground and there were only one goal post per team and they stood four feet off the ground as well. There was no Golden Snitch at this level.

"The reserve players. You're the only first team player." Collins said.

Charlie was sure that the reserve players were just as stoked about doing the camp as he was. Most players he knew would enjoy the opportunity to help out kids and promote the game. The reserves' coach was a witch by the name of Paula White. Charlie knew her pretty well because he often practiced with the reserves.

"What age group are we talking about?" he asked thinking about the level of expertise the players may have.

"Pre-teen and teen," was the answer. Charlie made a face. "Oh shit. I don't have to camp out with them, do I?"

Guy shook his head. "No, of course not. They'll have chaperones."

"Oh good. I know what I was like when I was that age. But they should have a high skill level." Charlie was thinking about what that age group would find useful when it came to coaching.

Guy asked Charlie to talk to Paula for instructions on when and where to report. He found her talking to her reserve players. They didn't look too happy as she described the following weekend's activity. Charlie couldn't imagine them not wanting to participate in the Quidditch camp. He wasn't especially crazy about the age group; too many hormones, not enough focus, but these were junior Quidditch players. Some may even become professional players.

The players stopped bitching when they saw Charlie. He smiled and waved to them. Paula looked at him expecting him to be loudest complainer, but was surprised by the eager look on his face.

"I'm so glad you get to help with the camp, Charlie," she started, pleasantly. "There are about fifty who have already signed up. Everyone's excited about learning from you." She was full of schmooze, but Charlie didn't mind.

"I think it'll be a lot of fun. I've never participated in something like this before. I never got to go to Quidditch camp when I was young. Is it for disadvantaged wizards?"

The other players looked at him like he was insane. Was the "great" Charlie Weasley actually saying that he was going to enjoy a weekend with a bunch of kids?

"Yes, it is. Half of the slots were reserved for disadvantaged and at-risk wizards. The rich wizards are playing through the nose to spend a weekend with you so the other kids can come." Paula said. "You don't mind, do you?"

Charlie shook his head. "Not at all. Bless the rich folk. So, what I'm I supposed to do?"

"You want to do this bullshit dog and pony show?" One of the reserve players asked.

Charlie looked at him strangely. "Of course I do, don't you? And I don't think it's a 'dog and pony show' as you call it. It's our opportunity to help future Quidditch players, to be positive role models. I thought you'd be excited to do this. Guess I was wrong." Charlie was starting to get pissed off.

The young man back pedaled a little. "Well, of course, but we're professionals. They should let the coaches do that. We're players, you know."

Charlie looked at him without speaking. He turned around and gave Paula a sardonic look. Paula looked embarrassed, but didn't say anything either. She looked down at her clipboard and then gave Charlie the itinerary for the three days of the camp. He looked over the schedule. The first event was the sign in, followed by room assignments and a welcoming breakfast. The events that Charlie had to attend were highlighted. The campers were then going to be treated to a scrimmage game between the two reserve teams. In the afternoon the kids were to be divided into their positions where they would hone their skills in their positions. Lunch and dinner were to be served in the players' dining hall. Day two consisted of more workshops, and teams would be created and practice would begin for the tournament on Sunday. The final day would consist of tournaments and the awards dinner in the evening.

"Am I going to get to coach a team?" he asked Paula after perusing the schedule.

"Absolutely. And you get two assistants as well." Paula said heaving a large sigh of relief. She was afraid that Charlie wouldn't want to do any of the grunt work.

"Brilliant." He said. He looked at the reserve player standing next to Paula. "I don't want this asshole."

The player clenched his fists and flushed furiously. He was angry but he wasn't going to say anything. Charlie turned and walked away from him and Paula followed trying to stifle a laugh.

"Is there some kind of play book I can read over? I get to be in one of the workshops for seeker, right? I could use some ideas on what to do." Charlie asked.

"Sure. I'll get it for you now." Paula said. She sent her assistant into the coach's office.

"Thanks, Coach." He said. The assistant returned quickly and handed the book to Charlie. "I have to get back to practice. Do we need to meet before the camp starts?"

Paula nodded. "Thursday evening after practice. I'll let you know."

After practice that evening, Charlie met up with Joanna and Jordan and told them about the Quidditch camp that weekend.

"That sounds like fun. Honey, you want to help Charlie?" she asked Jordan.

Jordan shrugged and nodded. "Sure, baby. I remember I used to go to Quidditch camps in Hamilton. I learned a lot. Do you think they'll let us?"

"Fuck, yeah. I'll just tell them you're my assistants. I get two." Charlie said happily.

Several of the other first team players found out about the camp and volunteered to help as well. Lee and Jason were anxious to help and sought out Coach White. Like Jordan and Joanna they couldn't help out on Friday, but Popov announced they had the weekend off.

Coach White was happy with the response from the first team and shamed the reserves by telling them that five first team players would be joining them. Apparently the reserve players who complained thought they were too good to help out a bunch of kids. They were humbled when they found out that Jordan, Joanna, Lee, and Jason had asked permission to help out that weekend.

By the time Friday morning came, the press had been alerted to the fact that not only Charlie Weasley would be participating in the camp, but also, Jordan Kingsley, voted the best keeper in the league, record goal scorer, Joanna Morgan-Kingsley, and Lee West and Jason Monroe, voted the hottest beaters in the North American Quidditch League, by fans of _Quidditch Today_. As the kids poured into the Reds training camp, they were outnumbered by not only by Quidditch and celebrity press, but serious news reporters.

Charlie's presence wasn't expected until the welcoming breakfast. All he had to do was eat breakfast with the reserve players and the kids. The dining hall was a raucous affair. The noise level would rival a championship game.

Every time Charlie turned around someone was taking his picture. He stood with and smiled at every single kid at the breakfast. Not only were the girls silly so were the boys. Most of the kids were star struck not only seeing Charlie up close, but were equally impressed with the reserve players, who put on their game faces. If the breakfast was any indication, the weekend would be loud, fun, hormonal affair. Charlie was looking forward to the rest of the weekend. He couldn't wait to see what the afternoon would bring.


	8. Chapter 8 Camp Runamuk

_Based on characters created by J. K. Rowling_

Chapter 8—Camp Run-a-muk

The original fifty kids had swollen to over a hundred. Charlie was doubtful that the organizers were prepared to handle that many screaming, giggly, fired up kids. If these kids were anything like he or his brothers were when they were that age, focused or not on learning Quidditch, this was going to be an _interesting_ weekend. He was just thrilled he didn't have to chaperone the group.

And of course the press made it worse. They followed him everywhere. Charlie held his tongue and kept his temper in check because the last thing the Club needed was a sensational headline and a picture of Charlie beating a reporter over the head.

The problem didn't seem to be coming from the poor kids; they were high spirited enough, but at least they were focused on the concept. The rich ones were the ones that were proving to be the most destructive, demanding, and pains in the ass. They were, for the most part, extremely spoiled.

For some reason, most of the kids wanted to be seekers. Charlie told them that he would be the deciding factor on who would stay in the seeker workshop. The first criterion, of course was if they played that position. He began by doing a simple flying exercise. Since most of the kids were in their teens, most could fly easily. He was grateful that at least flying was not a neglected tradition. In Quidditch every position requires a differing level of concentration. All positions required excellent flying skills and the ability of the player to multi-task. In Charlie's opinion, the hardest position to play was keeper. Not only did the player have to be quick on his broom he also had to protect all three goals while avoiding being knocked off by a bludger. Chasers had to be able to out maneuver both bludgers and players who try to knock the quaffle out of their hands and knock them off their brooms. The beaters, in Charlie opinion had the best job, knocking the errant bludgers into seekers, keepers, and chasers. The seeker, he told his audience had to have quick reflexes, and had to have a hunter's instinct to be able to pick out a small ball the size of a walnut and capture it.

"There are two things I don't fuck around with," Charlie told his wide-eyed audience. "Defense against the dark arts and Quidditch. So don't fuck off, pay attention, because if you don't I'll kick your little asses out. Questions?" He looked around the group. The kids shook their heads quickly. "Excellent. Let's get started."

The exercise Charlie devised was to see how many practice snitches the would-be seekers could capture within a certain amount of time. There were so many would-be seekers, that Charlie had to divide them into three groups. There were two seekers from the reserve teams that were helping out, so it wasn't totally unmanageable. The problem was everyone wanted Charlie. Frustrated, he had them line up and did a count off. Once the group was divided, they were to be judged on speed, ability to get the practice snitch in a reasonable amount of time and commitment to the exercise. He didn't have time to dick around with kids whose heads weren't in the game. After five minutes, he eliminated those who were not serious, which cut the number in half. After that, the rest of the time was spent more productively.

Each seeker, including Charlie ended up with eleven seekers. Charlie spotted some very talented players and some that could benefit for additional coaching. There was one girl who was especially talented. She worked hard and appeared to be totally focused. Charlie and the rest were extremely impressed. Her name was Beth Kimbro and she was from Salem. During a break, Beth asked Charlie if he was related to the Holyhead Harpies' player Ginny Weasley. She said she had seen her play when her parents went on vacation in Wales.

Charlie swelled with pride. "That's my little sister. Isn't she fantastic?"

"Totally. The whole team is great. I think that's what inspired me to want to play. And finally my school has a Quidditch team. I'm a big Salem Cats fan, too, but I wanted to come to this camp because you're the best seeker in the league." She was cute and a little flirty. Charlie ignored her attempt at flattery.

Charlie chuckled. "Who's the Cats' seeker now?"

"Jared Golenz. Brand new. He's good, but just came up from the reserves. I think he'll give you a run in a couple of years." She said, seriously.

Charlie laughed. "In a couple of years I'll be too old and everyone will beat me, including you, I'll wager."

Beth blushed. "That's very sweet of you to say. But that'll never happen. You're in your prime now and you'll always be the best seeker in the world."

"I'm sorry, I don't speak bull shit. Get back up in the air." He said, smiling. She blushed again and took off.

After several attempts, the number of seekers had dwindled to only 15. The other hopefuls were sent to other stations. The 15 remaining seekers were going to be put through more drills and exercises. The exercises were designed to hone their skills and were the same drills that the professional seekers used and just as grueling. Charlie stayed on their asses the rest of the afternoon. If they slacked off, he would make them do more. By the second hour of drills, some were ready to quit. They didn't realize how difficult the training was. Anyone who moaned or complained was given extra drills. The reserve seekers who were helping out wanted to cut them a break, but Charlie looked at them incredulously and kept up the pace. Whatever the kids were doing, Charlie was doing too. He didn't let up until the session was almost over. He had them doing flying games, hanging upside down, flying blindfolded through a maze and a game where the kids chased him and the other coaches with water filled balloons. By the time the workshops were over for, the kids had forgotten how grueling the day had been.

Charlie blew his whistle and waved to everyone to land. The kids were hot and sweaty and looked like they were ready for bed.

"Not bad for the first day," he said cheerfully. "Tomorrow more drills and then we're going to divide everyone into teams, where you're going to practice with your team. Sunday we'll have tournaments all day."

"Will you be coaching a team?" a girl named Robin asked.

He nodded. "Yep Looks that way."

"I want to be on your team," she said.

"I don't have any control over that. Someone will pick the players I get stuck with who they give me. Any other questions?" he said, ignoring her.

"But my dad's an important person; he told me that he could get me on your team." She practically stamped her foot. "He's a friend of Mr. Collins."

"Sorry, puppy, but your daddy lied to you. But hey, you never know." Charlie turned to the other players. "Drink plenty of water tonight and get to bed early. I'll be on the pitch at 6 a.m. for anyone who wants to join me flying. Thanks for your effort today. Great job."

Several of the kids hung back to get a chance to talk with Charlie or have him sign autographs. He was in no hurry to get back and he wanted to talk to the reserve seekers to find out how their day went.

"Wasn't that fun?" he asked them as they started back to the dining area.

"Did you have to work them so hard?" One of the men asked.

"Hell yes. It wasn't anything they couldn't handle. They sign up for sports camp, they'd better be prepared to sweat a little."

"Some of the kids complained about how hard you worked them," the second reserve seeker, Taylor said.

Charlie rolled his eyes and pitched his broom over his shoulder He was tired, too and decided that he wanted to go out and blow off some steam. He knew better than to bother Joanna and Jordan because their evenings were spent with the baby, so he went looking for Lee and Jason.

He found them in the dining hall arguing over some nonsensical thing and asked if they wanted to go out. Both quickly agreed and then began arguing about where they should go. Jason suggested they go to one of his favorite bars, a trendy club called, _Ding Dong_.

"I think I got into a fight last time I was there," Charlie said.

"Nobody'll remember. They have a live band." Jason added to entice Charlie. "Mostly young girls."

"How young?" Charlie asked skeptically. "I've been surrounded by giggly silly girls all day."

"Oh yeah, how's that going?" Lee asked. "We're going to be helping out tomorrow. Coach gave us the weekend off."

"No shit?" Charlie said. "Is he sick or something?"

Lee shrugged. "Beats me. I think he knew most of us wanted to help out with the Quidditch camp. Who knows? Do you still have the two game suspension?"

Charlie nodded. "First two regular season games; no preseason. That came out weird, didn't it? Oh well. How's Ryan doing?"

Jason rolled his eyes. "Don't get Lee started on Ryan. I heard they are bringing up a guy from the reserves and that Ryan is going to another team somewhere, maybe that new team in Nebraska."

"No shit? Hmm." Charlie said. "I've got to take a shower before we go. I'll just meet you there, okay? Try to get a table. I shouldn't be more than twenty minutes." He headed toward his room. The place was crawling with kids. Apparently some of them were staying on the same floor as him. He didn't think anything of it until some girls started following him. He disapparated in front of them and apparated in his room where he quickly showered and changed clothes. He didn't like disapparating in his room, but he wasn't keen on the idea of any of them knowing where he lived. He put an extra hex on the lock on his door. He didn't want to return to find girls in his room, and apparated to the outside of the club.

The place was busy even for a Friday night. Jason and Lee were at the bar when he came in. They were already talking to some very lovely witches, who didn't quite look legal age. Charlie wasn't really looking for female company; he wanted to wind down from the day. The bartender knew him and sent over his favorite drink, tequila. He drank the first shot quickly and slammed the glass on the bar.

He turned around to say something to Lee when he spotted her. There at a table with three other witches was Linda Martinez. She looked like she was just having a night out with the girls, but Charlie didn't trust her. He was also in a mood that he would probably regret later. He asked the bartender what she was drinking. Probably some sissy drink, he thought, but no, she was drinking straight vodka. He carried the drink over himself and put it down in front of her. She looked up and was smiling until she saw it was Charlie.

"Hello, Linda," he said. He dragged a chair from another table and sat down next to her. The women at the table must have recognized Charlie because they immediately looked at Linda to gauge her reaction.

"What are you doing here?" she asked testily. "Are you following me?"

Charlie shook his head. "No, just a happy coincidence. Don't go." He said when she started to stand up.

"I'd have thought I was the last person you'd want to run into," Linda said honestly.

"Yeah, well. You are a heartless bitch, aren't you?" Charlie said pleasantly.

"I'm just doing my job." She said defensively.

"Well, you got me out of rehab, so I should thank you for that." Charlie said. "That was the biggest fucking waste of time. And I'm back on the first team."

"I'm glad to hear that. Sincerely." She added when Charlie gave her a dubious look. "I still want to know what you were doing in that bar in Mexico drunk on your ass when you should have been in training camp."

"I'm back now. That's all you need to know." Charlie said. He pushed the glass of vodka closer to her. "Go ahead. I didn't jinx it or anything. So, what's the occasion?" He asked.

One of Linda's friends chimed in. "It's her birthday," she said.

"Well, happy birthday," he said. He leaned in and kissed her chastely on her cheek. Linda stiffened slightly. "I've kissed you before," he whispered in her ear. "And you seemed not to mind."

Linda closed her eyes as he got nearer, steeling herself against whatever he was going to do next. Instead of moving away, Charlie kissed her neck. She was shaking slightly. He chuckled and whispered, "I'm not going to bite."

"I know," she said. Turning her head slightly, her lips touched his. He cupped his hand around the back of her head and held her as he deepened the kiss. He wore a sly smile when he finally ended the kiss. They looked at each other for a moment and Charlie smiled. He sat back in his chair and finished his drink.

"I thought I would be more pissed at you," he said honestly. "That article you wrote was completely uncalled for. What have I ever done to make you hate me?"

"I don't hate you, Charlie. You make great copy. Just tell me what you were doing in Mexico." She said.

He leaned closed to her again, his lips next to her ear. "If I tell you, they will kill you." He kissed her ear. He sat back in his chair again but this time he wasn't smiling.

"What do you mean?" she asked looking into his eyes frightened. For some reason, she believed him.

"Just that I can't tell you. I don't know why I can't tell you, but I can't. It would get a lot of people in trouble." He said quietly.

Charlie never quite understood why the Mexican and American Departments of Magic chose to suppress the details of the war in the desert. Maybe it was for the greater good, but personally he thought people had a right to know that there had been an evil threat darker than the Americans could have even imagined. Maybe it had something to do with what he did when he was under Ares's curse that frightened the Departments so much that he had to keep it a secret. Charlie had murdered a young woman who had been captured by the army of the righteous. Murdered was a polite word to what he actually done to her. He had hacked her to death with a machete. He knew he was under a powerful curse when he did it and no one blamed him, but he had been aware of what he was doing at the time. The hardest part for Charlie was forgiving himself.

"Charlie, I," but she couldn't finish. What if she found out what he was talking about? Should she even try?

Maybe he wanted her to find out what happened and what he did. Maybe the true story needed to be told. But not today.

Charlie winked at her. "Happy birthday," he said. "I have to go." He stood up and bent over her. He smiled and kissed her again. "Are you going to be covering the Quidditch camp over the Reds' training camp?"

She nodded. "Yes, I thought I'd go over there tomorrow."

"Good. I'll see you then." He smiled at the women at her table. "Ladies," he said bowing politely.

He walked back to the bar, looking for Lee and Jason, but they had already settled into a private table with some girls they had met. He found them and said he was leaving. They were too distracted by their current company to protest too loudly.

Charlie went outside and disapparated. He apparated inside his room. It was still noisy outside; kids running around everywhere. There was no telling when they would settle down and go to sleep. Oh well, he thought everyone's entitled to blow off a little steam. He undressed and climbed into his bed. Within minutes he was sound asleep; no dreams haunting him.


	9. Chapter 9 Preliminaries

_Based on characters created by J. K. Rowling_

Chapter 9—Preliminaries

Charlie was surprised when his 15 would-be seekers showed up at the practice pitch at 6 in the morning. He rewarded them with a pleased grin on this face. It was a flying free-for-all. They played chase games in the air, dive bomber, search for gold; a fun game where the players had to spot gold coins on the ground from high in the air, then pick them up. Who ever found the coins were able to keep them.

None of the other players were up that early and neither was the press, so he played with the kids for over an hour. By seven o'clock, Jordan and Joanna joined them. They were just as star struck over seeing Joanna and Jordan as when they first saw Charlie. Another half hour in the air and Charlie escorted the kids into the dining facility where they met Jason and Lee. Charlie was pleasantly surprised to see the other chasers, Iris and Alicia, join the table as well. They wanted to help out with the camp. The entire first team sat together with Charlie's kids.

The noise level in the dining facility was deafening. Lee and Jason tried to find out what went on at Linda's table that night, but Charlie pretended he couldn't hear them. He was afraid that if Joanna got wind of who he had met up with, there would be hell to pay. Joanna was extremely protective when it came to Charlie. Besides, it would be bad enough if Linda showed up today.

There were several announcements, including the schedule for the afternoon session. The teams would be chosen right after lunch. Each coach would have two teams that would compete against each other and one team would be chosen to play in the tournaments on Sunday. The coach could choose the winning team or create his own team from both sides.

The morning drills were just as grueling as the exercises the previous day. Charlie worked with Joanna and Jordan while the other first team was distributed throughout the reserve players. Jordan had been the first team seeker for the Hamilton (Ontario) Horntails before being traded to the Reds, so he was comfortable with the exercises. Joanna was all chaser, but knew more flying drills anyone else. The three of them were having a wonderful time until Joanna spotted Linda skulking around.

"She's not skulking," Charlie told Joanna. "She's a member of the press and has every right to be here." He defended Linda.

"Oh shit, Charlie, you didn't fuck her again, did you?" Joanna shook her head.

"No, I didn't," he said defensively. "What's the matter with you, don't you trust me?"

"When it comes to your dick, no I don't." Joanna said. "Jordan, talk some sense into him," she pleaded.

"He's a big boy, Joanna." Jordan said. "Don't you think you should cut him some slack?"

"No, because he's a dickhead." Joanna said. "Aren't you a dickhead, Charlie?"

Charlie grinned, sighed, and then nodded his head. "Yes, ma'am."

"See?" Joanna said, pleased with herself. "Don't come crying to me when she writes some horrible piece about what an asshole you are, because all I'm going to do is tell you I told you so."

"You know I don't read the shit these people write about me. Usually." He said truthfully.

Several of the kids had flown close to them as they were having this conversation. They found it funny that Joanna was cussing like a sea hag. She ran them off with a string of salty expressions none of which the average pre-teen had ever heard. Charlie blew his whistle for a break and flew down to the water stand.

"Make sure you get plenty of water," he told the group. "Then back up into the air. We still have a lot of work to do."

Beth tried to talk to Charlie, but he ignored her. He was looking at Linda as she walked up to him.

"Good morning," he said brightly.

"I see you brought your guard dog," Linda said sardonically looking at Joanna who was giving her a very hard look.

"Be nice," he said in a friendly tone. "She'll bite your head off if you're not careful."

"Yes, well. I did a little research last night and I found some very interesting information about a band of soldiers in the Mexican mountains called, The Army of the Righteous. Ever heard of them? They're supposed to have been banded for centuries to fight evil and dark magic." Linda looked at him, trying to gauge his expression

"So?" he said impatiently.

"So, it's a secret army whose whole existence is to fight dark magic. Sound familiar?" She waited for his reaction.

"Doesn't ring a bell," he lied. "I thought you were going to ask me Quidditch questions."

"Charlie," she began, "you know something about them, don't you?" She was using her sexy voice, which usually was effective on men. It was smooth and low and her fingers played with the material of his shirt. He had heard it many times and she normally got her way. He covered her hand, holding it in place. He was beginning to weaken.

Joanna stomped up to them and grabbed Linda's arm. "Piss off, bitch. Leave him alone."

Although surprised at Joanna's bellicose tone, Linda picked up Joanna's hand from her arm and flung it off her. She looked murderous. "Back off, Morgan," she said rudely.

"That's Kingsley, bitch," Joanna countered.

_Oh shit,_ thought Charlie. _They're going to fight in front of these kids_. Luckily Jordan saw what was going on and flew down to separate the witches. He dragged Joanna off, whispering something in her ear. She visibly relaxed. She grinned at her husband, and then shrugged at Charlie. She mouthed the word, 'sorry' and went off to a group of kids who were watching the scene.

Linda watched as Jordan distracted his wife and led her off in another direction. "Charlie, is Kingsley jealous of you at all?"

"No, why?" he found the question ludicrous.

"Wasn't she your girlfriend before she married Kingsley?"

Charlie snorted out a laugh. "Hell no. Strange as it may sound to you, I don't sleep with every woman I know. Joanna and I have always been just friends. Nothing more. She helped me get into the league and she's my best friend. There's never been anything else. I never fucked her, or for that matter I never fucked Jordan and the baby isn't mine, I'm Kayleigh's godfather. There's your story. Not as exciting as the gossip, is it?"

Linda smiled. This was the first time Charlie had ever opened up about his relationship with Joanna. He'd never been this candid before. It was probably a diversion because he didn't want to talk about the army in the desert. She was sure Charlie was involved some way. She would placate him for now.

"While I've got you in an honesty binge, are you back together with your little muggle girlfriend?"

"No," he said quickly. "I've got to get back. Are you going to stick around for a while?"

She nodded uncertainly. "Sure. I want to get some pictures of you with the kids. Is that allowed?"

"Of course as long as you don't infer this is some kind of orgy with under-aged girls."

She laughed. "I promise."

Charlie flew back into the air, leaving Linda behind. He only had a couple of hours left before lunch and there was a lot of work still to be done.

The exercises ceased about fifteen minutes before lunch. He gathered everyone around him and told them all how proud he was of their hard work. He wished them good luck and said he'd be looking out for them in the near future as professional Quidditch players. He also told them he didn't know who he would be getting for the tournaments but he would be happy with any one of them. They beamed with pleasure. They knew that Charlie was the kind who wouldn't lie to them; he was very serious about Quidditch and he didn't placate anyone.

Jordan and Joanna also told them that they were proud of their effort and they had had a very good time working with them. They flew together to the dining facility where the group said their good-byes.

Lunch lasted a lot longer than usual because of the sorting for the Quidditch team practices. The campers were divided into 16 teams, two teams per coach. Charlie was a coach, and so were the first team players, and Ryan Smith who joined in later. The reserve players were divided into assistant coaches. Charlie wanted to work with Joanna and Jordan, but the powers that be decided that they were to coach their own teams. They made wagers among themselves on the outcome of Sunday's tournaments. Everyone was having a real good time.

Charlie met up with his teams and looked over the group. He was fortunate to get Beth for one of his teams and a young man named Marshall Lemmons. Marshall was from Austin and was one who had benefited from the scholarships offered. He was one of the hardest workers Charlie had ever seen and he saw a lot of potential in him.

The other players were a mystery, of course, so the first thing he did was have them on the pitch in a short workout. They had already been divided into teams, and Charlie wanted to see how well they worked together. He was impressed with everyone except a couple of the chasers. They seemed distracted and didn't have their head in the game. He wondered aloud who had been the chasers' coach. The coach had been the one reserve player who had the worst attitude.

Charlie took the six chasers and ran drills. Two told him he didn't have to do what he said, so Charlie kicked them out. They could play with two chasers on each team, he informed the team. He'd pick a third player from the losing side to go to the Friday's tournaments, so every chaser needed to play the best game of their lives. When the others saw that Charlie wasn't kidding, they put their heads into the practice. After an hour of drills, he called for a break and everyone landed, heading for the water.

"Beth and Marshall, what did I tell you yesterday? What are the two things I don't fuck around with?" he asked them pointedly

Defense against the dark arts and Quidditch," they chimed in together. The other players giggled. Marshall looked at them sharply. "He's not kidding," he said.

"Let's go. In the air. We're going to have best of four. The winner goes to the tournaments. Good luck."

The two teams assembled in the air. There was a nervous energy all around. The two teams played their hearts out. Even with two chasers only both teams scored 90 points each. Charlie watched the keepers carefully. Both were good, but the beaters kept them distracted. He was very proud of each team. The deciding players, of course were the seekers. Both were aggressive and used the skills they honed the past two days. Once the Golden Snitch was spotted, the two fought hard to capture it. They were equally aggressive and Charlie decided he wouldn't bet against either one of them. Marshall came up hard next to Beth and tried to knock her off her broom. She fought back, bumping him so hard that he was knocked off balanced allowing Beth to take the advantage and grab the Golden Snitch, ending the first game 240-90.

Marshal fought back the second game, capturing the Golden Snitch after just thirty minutes of play. 150 – 0. Charlie allowed a short break but they were back in the air in forty-five minutes. Marshall's team took the third game with a high score of 290-130, but Beth's team came back in game four. It was anybody's game and the teams played like they were playing in the final game of the World Quidditch Cup. They were aggressive and determined and they impressed the hell out of him. It was apparent that each team wanted this win more than anything else in the world. And they fought hard for it. Neither side would give an inch. Finally, after a fierce battle for the Golden Snitch, Beth lost her focus for less than a half of second and Marshall took advantage and captured the Golden Snitch. Both seekers were bloodied and bruised and at the end, they embraced with mutual respect.

"You should be very proud of how you played. Great games!" he said.

"What about the chaser?" One of the losing chasers, Lynn asked. "You said you'd pick another chaser."

Charlie smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I did." He sighed heavily. "Sudden death. Whoever scores first against me gets the slot. Ready?" Lynn and the other chaser, a girl named Tamara quickly mounted their broom and took off toward the goal posts with Charlie right behind them. The other two reserve players set up each chaser for scoring while Charlie protected the goals. Both were pretty good but were a little intimidated by playing against Charlie. Both tried feints but Charlie stopped all their attempts at scoring. Both teams were encouraging, but it proved very difficult to score against him. Finally Tamara flew in very close and managed to get the quaffle through the goal by rushing past him.

"Well done!" he laughed. He held her hand up over her head. "We have a winner!" Tamara blushed and grinned happily.

Most of the other participants had already finished for the day and were in the dining facility for the evening meals. Charlie sat with his players while they ate. He told them again how proud he was of them and that he believed they would go all the way in the tournament. He told them to get to get plenty of sleep. Tomorrow would be even more grueling. Taking his own advice he made it to his room after dinner without anyone spotting him. He needed to answer his mail and he planned to get to bed early himself.

Charlie was just drifting off when he was awakened by a soft knock on this door. He didn't know if he should answer it or not, but he got up and opened the door. He was not surprised when Linda walked in.

"We weren't finished this morning," she said walking straight to his bed. Smiling, she sat down and patted the space next to her. "Come, sit down. I won't bite."

"I'm tired, Linda. It's been a long day. Let's talk tomorrow after the tournaments. I promise I'll give you an interview and you can ask me whatever you want. And I will tell you everything." Charlie stood and folded his arms across his chest.

"Promise?" she asked.

"Absolutely." He said, pushing her out the door.


	10. Chapter 10 The Tournaments

_Based on characters created by J. K. Rowling_

Chapter 10—The Tournaments

Charlie thought the evening was over after he kicked Linda out of his room. Then he remembered what he'd promised her. _Oh shit,_ he thought. _What exactly did I say?_ What made it worse was that he wasn't drunk when he told her that she could ask him anything and he would tell you everything she wanted to know. _Well, that ain't going to happen. _He'll figure a way out of that mess later.

The noise in the hallway still hadn't died down. He could hear voices and laughter and wondered how any of the other players could get any sleep. One more of day of this shit, he thought. He laughed at himself; it used to be him making all that noise, now he was wondering when they would shut the fuck up and let the old people sleep.

There was a desperate knock on his door. Before he could decide whether or not to ignore it, he heard a voice, "Charlie," it said. "It's Lee. You awake?"

Charlie opened the door and found Lee West leaning against the door. He fell into his room. "Sorry," he said. He sounded very drunk. "Jason has a girl in our room and there were these kids running all over the place. I think they were chasing me."

"And you led them here? Thanks." Charlie said irritably.

"Nice room," he said, distracted. "You mind if I sleep here tonight?" He was already taking off his shoes as he fell into the couch, and within seconds, he began to snore.

"Sure," he deadpanned. "Make yourself at home."

With the noise from outside and Lee's snoring, Charlie realized he wouldn't get any sleep any time soon. Looking at the time, he sighed heavily. He covered his head with his pillow and threw a silencing hex at Lee.

He woke up automatically at 5 o'clock. Lee had fallen on the floor and was covered with his light jacket. Charlie nudged him with his foot and told him he could sleep in his bed. Without missing a beat Lee shrugged off his shirt and crawled into Charlie's bed. Within seconds he was snoring softly.

Charlie went into his bathroom and took a quick shower. He wrapped a towel low around his waist and was drying his hair when he came out of the bathroom. Before he could react, he realized that someone was in his room and was taking a picture of him coming out of the bathroom. He was sure that the photographer managed to get a picture of him half naked with Lee, bare chested sleeping in his bed.

_Oh great, _Charlie thought. _That's going to make the papers._

He dressed hurriedly and grabbed his broom and was on the practice pitch by 6 o'clock. Not even Coach Popov was there, but he showed up minutes later. Charlie was also surprised to see several of the seeker-campers, including Marshall Lemmons, waiting for him. He grinned and told them just to enjoy the quiet. All he was going to do was fly. The kids followed him into the air and for the next hour they flew silently, enough the moment as much as Charlie.

After he landed, he wished everyone good luck in the day's tournament and headed off to the dining facility where he found Jordan, Joanna, and Lee sitting around reading the morning newspaper. Charlie slapped the back of Lee's head.

"Did you by any chance open my door while I was in the shower this morning?"

Lee looked at him, thinking hard. He was still slightly hung over from the night before. "Uh, I don't think so. Maybe," he said.

Charlie rolled his eyes and said, "Shit. It looks like we're going to have to announce our engagement soon."

Lee looked at him blankly; not understanding, but Jordan and Joanna caught on and began laughing gleefully.

"What?" he asked dumbly.

They were interrupted by the announcement of the tournament schedule. Eight teams would play single elimination. A tournament champion would be named as well as the most valuable players. There would be a two hour time limit and some games might end without capturing the Golden Snitch. The teams competing were The Austin Americans (Alicia), Killer Flyers (Jordan), Texas Unicorns (Joanna), Dodgers (Jason), Flying Aces (Lee), Salem Cats (Ryan), Cannon Balls (Iris), and Dragon Wranglers (Charlie). The most valuable players would be decided by the referees, who happened to be the Reds coaches.

Charlie was sure that the coaches were looking for potential players; at least he hoped so. He had seen some incredibly talented youngsters play. There were two pitches; the practice pitch and the Reds' official Quidditch Pitch where the teams played their games.

The first four teams to play first were Austin Americans versus Killer Flyers and on the practice pitch, the Texas Unicorns against the Dodgers. The other four teams watched the games, along with family and friends.

Coach Popov was refereeing the game in the Reds stadium while Evan Brinkley refereed in the practice pitch. By a coin toss, Joanna and Jason's team were playing in the Reds' stadium. It was much more comfortable in the official pitch's seating area that Charlie chose to watch Joanna's game instead of Jordan's. Of course the Wrangler stayed with Charlie.

"Who are we rooting for?" Tamara Smith asked.

Charlie shrugged. "Either team. Just watch them play and enjoy the game."

"I hope we get this pitch," another player said.

"Me, too," Charlie said. "You guys excited?"

"I'm really nervous," said one of the beaters.

"Don't be nervous. Just play your best. My adrenaline starts pumping the minute I get in the air."

"Do you get nervous?" Marshall asked. He was clearly getting anxious.

Charlie shook his head. "Not nervous, just excited."

"I've never played with this many people watching," Marshall said.

"You won't even notice them once the game starts. I promise." He assured him.

They sat back and watched the two teams play. The Unicorns' seeker, Melanie Gotschall was excellent. It proved to be a high scoring game. The keepers allowed for 260 points. But in the end, Gotschall captured the Golden Snitch, beating the Dodgers 290 – 110. On the other pitch, the Killer Flyers beat the Austin Americans in two hours of play without capturing the Golden Snitch. The final score was 90 – 70.

There was a short break, and then the other four teams met up for the second part of the tournament. Charlie's Dragon Wranglers was pitted against the Cannonballs in the main pitch with Coach Popov officiating. Lee's team the Flying Aces had to play Ryan's Salem Cats in the practice pitch. Charlie knew that Lee despised Ryan with a passion so he knew Lee wanted his team to massacre the Cats.

Charlie had his own team to worry about. He knew his players were good, especially Marshall the seeker. Marshall still looked nervous, but no more so than the other seeker. Charlie took him aside and told him to relax and have fun.

"Do you have any other advice for me, Coach?" Marshall asked chewing on his fingernail.

"Yeah," said Charlie. "Don't fall off your broom." Marshall laughed and took to the air.

Charlie paced and encouraged his team as the game remained scoreless. He was afraid that the game would end that way, but after forty-five minutes in the air, Marshall spotted and captured the Golden Snitch. There was a hell of a fight for the snitch between the other seeker, but in the end, Marshall flew away the winner. 150 - 0.

The Cats/Aces game was a lot more physical and went the two hours without the Golden Snitch being captured. The Aces chasers and keepers played a hard fight and the final score was 120 Aces to 40 for the Cats. Lee hooted and hollered louder than the team's parents. He wanted to gloat, but he didn't. The Aces played brilliantly.

The tournament broke for lunch and the four remaining teams were slated to play beginning at one thirty. Charlie thought his Wranglers had a real shot at beating the Aces. He was most impressed with his seeker and was confident that Marshall would capture the Golden Snitch.

Joanna's team, the Texas Unicorns were to play Jordan's Killers. Charlie was glad he didn't have to pick sides on that one.

While the Wranglers were battling the Aces, the Killers and the Unicorns were in a high scoring game. Neither keeper was able to prevent the chasers from scoring. Finally with less than 10 minutes left to play, the Unicorn's seeker captured the Snitch and won the game. The chasers had scored a total of 21 times and the final score was the Texas Unicorns 300, the Killer Flyers 160.

Early in the Wrangler/Aces game, the keeper was knocked off his broom and was unable to continue playing. Tamara Smith, the chaser took over and tried to protect the goals, but the Aces scored 17 goals. Marshall sacrificed the game by capturing the Snitch, but it wasn't enough to win the game. Unbelievably the Wranglers lost by 20 points. The Aces were going to meet the Unicorns in the tournament final.

Of course Charlie was disappointed that the team lost, but he was very proud of the way they played; especially Tamara and Marshall. The team was upset, but Charlie told them how proud he was of them.

After an hour break, the final match began in the main pitch with hundreds of people watching. This game was promising to be an exciting match and would be played to regulation standards and no time limit. After the game, the campers were to pack and get ready for the awards dinner.

Charlie and Jordan were rooting for the Unicorns, of course. Joanna had proven herself to be an excellent coach. Melanie Gotschall, the Unicorn's seeker was one of the brightest and most patient seekers both Jordan and Charlie had seen.

The stands filled quickly and when the whistle blew to begin the game, the enthusiasm matched a professional game. Both coaches paced and encouraged, cheered, and yelled at their players. The teams looked to be fairly evenly matched and it promised to be a high scoring game if the prior games were any indication. Charlie and Jordan spent most of the game on their feet jumping up and down, cursing at the referee (not too loud because neither had the nerve to curse Coach Popov).

The Aces scored first and then five in a row. Stunned, the Unicorns answered the score with eight goals of their own. Charlie was sure that the Unicorns would win, but the Aces fought back with another three goals in quick succession. At the end of the first hour of play, the Aces' seeker spotted the Golden Snitch and the race was on. It was a bitterly fought contest with both seekers literally fighting for the snitch. The seekers lost sight of the Snitch, found it, then lost it again. Charlie watched as the two seekers made a dive for the ground and it looked like someone was going to crash into the ground, but they both pulled up before certain disaster could strike. Then suddenly in the blink of an eye, the Aces's seeker stopped in midair and flew over to their keeper. Smiling broadly, the Aces's seeker flew straight down toward the earth in a feint Charlie would never has guess possible by such a young person. He fell off his broom, but he was close enough to the ground that he didn't get hurt. But when he stood up, he held his hand over his head and revealed the Golden Snitch. The Aces had won the tournament 210 - 100!

That evening at the awards' dinner, Melanie Gotschall and Marshall Lemmons were named the most valuable players. Charlie was extremely proud of his team because Josh Kilmer won a title as one of the best Beaters. Lee West was named best coach and Joanna received a similar honor. Charlie received honorable mention.

The past three days was very positive experience for Charlie. He enjoyed the camp and it didn't seem like such a torturous affair. He told Paula that he would volunteer again if the team every sponsored another Quidditch camp. He completed his "community service" and now he faced the two game suspensions.

His only dread was facing Linda. He promised he would answer her questions, but never said he would answer them honestly.


	11. Chapter 11 House Hunting in the 'Burbs

**A/N: This chapter's for my muse nairiefairie. Wow, I ****really**** didn't see that coming! –Rita**

_Based on characters created by J. K. Rowling_

Chapter 11—House Hunting in the 'Burbs

Charlie was not looking forward to this day at all. He promised to meet Linda for an interview and there was no way he could back out of it. He thought of distractions that would keep her off track, but the truth was he told her he would answer her questions and tell her everything she wanted to know. The problem was, of course, he wasn't at liberty to tell her everything, but he would deal with that part later.

Then it came to him. The biggest distraction for a woman, other than jewelry (and he had considered bribing her) was shopping. Big shopping. He was going to kill two birds with one stone and invite her to go with him while he went looking for a house to buy. He was tired of living the dorm life and wanted a place of his own.

Charlie had arranged to look at a number of houses in Austin and the surrounding areas and he asked Linda to come along for a woman's perspective. Suspicious, never the less Linda agreed to go with him. He asked her to come to his room on a sunny Saturday morning. Quidditch practice wasn't until the evening so he had all day.

Charlie was dressed and ready to go when she knocked on his door. He opened it and smiled, inviting her in. "You look nice," he said kissing her lightly on the cheek.

She looked around his room. "Your boyfriend not here?"

Charlie laughed. "Ready?" he said grabbing a jacket. As he walked her outside, he said, "A couple of things. My realtor is taking us around and we're going in her muggle car."

Linda raised an eyebrow. "Is she non-magical?" What was Weasley trying to pull?

"Yes, but she's kind of a liaison person. She's worked with a lot of magical types. She knows I want a house in a muggle neighborhood like Joanna and my friend Travis. I heard she's very good. Joanna recommended her."

"Why a muggle neighborhood?" she asked.

"Privacy," he said plainly. "Muggles have no idea who I am; I need some peace."

If that was a swipe at her, she ignored him. "So, am I going to get my interview or not?"

"If you wish. I did promise you one. If you don't want to help me, Linda, just say so."

Charlie looked at her hopefully.

"No, I wouldn't miss this for the world. I think this is my last chance, isn't it?"

Charlie nodded. "But you have to promise me you aren't going to tell anyone where I'm living if I do find something today. It wouldn't do to have strange people turning up in muggles' front yards looking for me. Please." He said with all the charm he could muster.

Linda sighed. "Okay, I promise. Do you think you'll find a house today anyway?"

Charlie shrugged. They walked several blocks and he led her into a coffee shop. "We're meeting her here," he explained.

As incredible as it sounded, no muggle in Georgetown knew there was a huge sports complex in their back yards. It was, of course, charmed to look like one of the many vast fields surrounding the town. Some students at Southwestern University swore that they heard loud noises at night and mysterious lights, but when they go to investigate, there's nothing there but open fields.

Zola, the realtor was waiting for them. She was sitting in a booth and had a bunch of papers surrounding her. She didn't look that organized, but Joanna swore by her. She had a pen in her mouth and one in her hair. She looked up and smiled when Charlie approached the booth. He slid in across from her and Linda, not knowing what else to do, followed.

"Mr. Weasley!" she said pleasantly. She looked expectantly at Linda. "And is this Mrs. Weasley?" she asked extending her braceleted hand to Linda.

"Fuck no," Charlie laughed. "This is my friend Linda. She's offered to help me out today. And call me Charlie."

If Zola was offended by Charlie 's crude language, she didn't even flinch. A smile was pasted on her face. "Well, Charlie, I hope you're in the mood to see some beautiful homes today. From what you've told me, I bet you you'll find the home of your dreams. You said you wanted something in this area or Austin, correct?" He nodded. "I want to show you some beautiful homes on Lake Austin, here in Georgetown, and Round Rock. How far are you willing to commute? Oh!" she caught herself. "That's not a problem, is it?"

Charlie was already starting to get bored. He had no idea what the process was. But he thought he'd just look at a couple of houses and he'd be done. Fuck this was going to take all day. Linda looked more interested as Zola described the palatial homes Zola knew Charlie could afford.

"This looks like a mansion," Linda commented.

Charlie looked at the brochure for moment then made a face. "This is too fucking big. It's just me and enough bedrooms for my family to visit; hopefully they won't visit at the same time."

"I'm sure we'll find something you'll like." Zola said reassuringly. "Would you like some breakfast?"

Linda shook her head but Charlie ordered a coffee to go and they headed out.

"You're on the record today," Linda said as they got into Zola's monstrous car. Charlie grinned and closed his mouth tightly and shook his head.

"Then I'm not saying anything," he said.

"Don't be that way, Charlie. You promised you'd tell me everything I wanted to know." She sounded whiny.

"I'm just kidding. I know what I said. Relax. Enjoy yourself. You tell your readers that you helped me find a house, but not where it is," he reminded her.

"Um, " she said. "I want to ask you about that day in Mexico when you,"

He interrupted. "The day I was such an asshole to you." He winced. "I'm surprised you even speak to me anymore. I was pretty gross."

She nodded. "Uh huh. I thought you were so drunk and obnoxious. But then I started thinking about it after I found out about E_l Ejército de la Justa,_" she pronounced in perfect Spanish. "And I put the two together. Maybe you were on a weekend pass or something." She shrugged.

Charlie shook his head. "You got it all wrong."

She ignored him. "Then I started thinking about what you said about somebody killing me if you told me something I wasn't supposed to know."

"I was kidding," he said.

"No," she said looking at him. "I don't think so. Anyway, I started talking to the _Departamento y Regulación de Mágicamente Seres_ and they didn't want to talk to me, but I found someone who would. Then I heard the name Ares, and that rang a bell with me. So little pieces started to fit together. The E_l Ejército de la Justa," _she began.

"And I told you I didn't know what you were talking about," he said.

"And yet you're sporting their tattoo." She pointed at his tribal band tattoo.

Charlie unconsciously touched the tribal band on his arm. "Hmph," he said. "I just thought it was hot looking. I didn't know it _meant_ anything," he lied.

Linda looked him drolly. "You know I don't buy that. You know exactly what that tattoo means. You don't have anything random on your body. Every single tattoo you have has a special meaning; even I know that."

Charlie shrugged and looked away.

"Here's the first one," Zola said happily as she pulled up into an enormous gated driveway.

Charlie took one look at the enormous mansion and said, "Too big."

"Don't you want to go inside?" she asked, disappointed.

"No," he said flatly. "Got anything smaller?"

"No worries," she said, again happily. She pulled the car out onto the highway and headed toward Interstate 35.

"You didn't want to see the inside of the house?" Linda asked incredulous. "I bet it was beautiful."

Charlie shrugged again. "I want to look at something I'd consider buying."

Zola looked in her rearview mirror at Charlie. "What do you think of a loft?"

"Not much." I like the idea of a house." He said.

"Sure, sure. I got it." She said, waving her hand.

They rode quietly for a while. Charlie hoped that Linda was going to drop the conversation about El_ Ejército de la Justa_. She certainly had done her homework.

Linda, on the other hand, was trying to think of a way to get him to admit that he knew about the Army of the Righteous. She could speculate all day long, but until he confirmed it, all it was was speculation.

"I thought you were going to be honest with me, Charlie," Linda said.

He tried to look innocent, but he doubted he pulled it off. He shrugged his shoulders. "What?" he said carefully. "I'm being honest with you."

"Bullshit." She said, frustrated.

Zola pulled into the second house. It was a nice ranch style in a quiet neighborhood. There was acreage. Zola said something about a horse barn. They got out to look at the house. It was nice; there was a swimming pool in the back yard and a nice outdoor kitchen. Charlie looked at the outdoor kitchen blankly. Zola explained that the back yard was perfect for entertaining.

"Does it have a bar? Because that's the only entertainment piece I can think of." He said.

Zola took them inside and showed off the updated kitchen. Again Charlie looked at it blankly. The only soul he knew who could cook was Travis. He would appreciate the high end appliances.

"Maybe I'm going about this all wrong," he said.

"And I think you're avoiding the whole issue," Linda said, opening the refrigerator door and peering inside. She turned to Zola. "How many bedrooms?"

"Five bedrooms and six baths."

"Six bathrooms?" he asked "What the fuck for?" He turned to Linda. "I'm not avoiding anything. You asked, I answered."

"The previous owners entertained overnight guests a lot." Zola said uncomfortably.

"I don't know why you dragged me out here," Linda said, frustrated. "I should have known better than to think you would be straight with me."

"I don't need six bathrooms. This place is still too big. I want a house just for me, not my whole family." Charlie said. "And I thought that was a cheap shot about me not regarding the feelings of others, especially my mother," he quoted to Linda. "You took that way out of context and you know it. And while we're on the subject, I'm not in denial about my alcohol use."

"Well then," Zola said. "I know exactly what you want. There's this one place I was holding out, but now I'm sure, this will be it!"

"Why were you drunk in a Mexican bar when you should have been in training camp. I saw the conditions of your new contract and I know wasn't about the money, you lost more than you gained. I think you joined El_ Ejército de la Justa _and were fighting in a war the Department of Magic wants to keep from everybody." Linda said angrily. "I think that war was with an army of dark wizards a wizard by the name of Ares recruited. And I think something else happened that no one wants to talk about; something supernatural."

"Don't show me anything so fucking big. I don't need it. Something smaller. Two or three bedrooms." Charlie said to Zola.

"Linda," he said calmly and quietly. "Why do you insist on bringing this up? Leave it alone. You cannot prove anything and I won't confirm it. _Let it __go_."

By the time they got back into the car, Linda was fuming. "This is a waste of time."

Charlie reached over and touched her hand. She looked at his hand on hers, and then looked at the earnestness of his expression. He touched her face. She shivered slightly as his finger traced an outline of her lips. He leaned in kissed her so gently, his hand cupping the back of her head. "Don't be mad at me, baby," he whispered softly in her ear, then kissed her again. She sighed as she wound her arms around his neck, and kissed him back.

It may have been minutes, but then again it may have been hours. They broke apart only after Zola cleared her throat and said they were at the next house. Dazed, Linda looked out the car window to look at the house.

"Ah, yes," said Charlie, enthusiastically, opening the car door. "Much better. Can't wait to see the inside." He jumped out of the car and waited on Linda.

She still looked slightly confused. What the hell had just happened, she wondered. She tugged on her blouse that had twisted around and was mostly unbuttoned. She smoothed down her hair and her skirt, trying not to look like she had just been thoroughly kissed, but not quite pulling it off.

Charlie sprinted into the house. He liked what he saw. Not too big. Nice back yard and a deck, but no swimming pool. The front porch was big and even had a swing. There were two huge bedrooms each with its own bathroom on opposite ends and a nice living area. There was even a fireplace. He nodded. "I like this. Linda, what do you think?" He looked at her expectantly.

"Beautiful," she said. "I could see you living here." She touched her swollen lips. Had she just imagined kissing him? She shook her head. She felt totally confunded.

He turned to Zola. "All right. I'll take this one. Does the furniture come with the house?" he asked.

"I'm sure we could arrange something." Zola said happily. "We just need to sign some papers and make an offer. Are you willing to pay the full asking price?"

"Yeah, and I'll pay cash." He said.

"Wonderful." She had her briefcase opened and all the papers she needed on the table before them.

"You're going to be taking care of everything, right?" He said signing the papers she shoved in front of him.

"Just like we arranged." Zola said. Charlie nodded. "Okay. Great."

Zola started punching in numbers into her cell phone. She put the phone to her ear and started walking away from them, talking into the phone. Charlie walked around the house and walked around the back yard. It was landscaped and had lush plants and flowers. His mum would love the garden, he thought.

After a few minutes, Zola found him. She waved to him excitedly. "Congratulations, it looks like you have just bought a house! The owners have accepted your offer and agreed to throw in the furniture if you're willing to pay them an additional ten thousand."

"Excellent." He said, rubbing his hands together. "When can I move in?"


	12. Chapter 12 Life in the Slow Lane

_Based on characters created by J. K. Rowling_

Chapter 12—Life in the Slow Lane

Of course Joanna was pissed off at Charlie for not taking_ her_ to help him find a house. Just as well, she would have chosen something obscenely large and right next door. She found herself loving the house and imagining how comfortable Charlie seemed to fit into the domestic life.

"Just a few months away, Weasley and you'll have a dozen rug rats running around breaking your furniture," Joanna told him as they sat outside on the porch swing, watching the neighbors. Jordan was sitting on the banister playing with Kayleigh; Lee and Jason were a modified muggle version of passing the quaffle with beater bats.

Charlie almost choked on his beer. "Don't say that," he laughed, "You made beer go out of my nose."

"Has Jessica seen the house yet?" she asked.

Charlie took another large swallow of his beer, then licked his lips. "Uh, no. Not yet."

Joanna looked at him strangely. "Have you mentioned it to her?"

"I haven't seen her to tell her anything. We're in the middle of training camp, aren't we?"

"Honey, hold Kayleigh, I want another beer," Jordan practically shoved the baby into her arms. He gave her a pointed look that Charlie had begun to recognize as a signal of some kind. She held the baby and kissed her rosy cheeks; Kayleigh's hair turning from egg yolk yellow to a pale yellow to a bright pink; her I'm-happy-to-be-with-my-mommy color.

"Get me one, too, please," Charlie said to Jordan as he went inside.

Joanna was still playing with the baby. Smiling at her, he touched Kayleigh's hair and left a red hand print as her hair was going to change to Charlie's red.

"What was that all about?" he asked Joanna. "You guys have some kind of signal going?"

Joanna blushed. "Yes. Jordan's helping me control my controlling issues. I asked him to. Anytime he thinks I'm being bossy or a bitch to you, he calls me on it."

"I love you the way you are, Joanna. I love your honesty. I know that you and Jordan are the only two people on the planet who'll call me on my bullshit. And you always have my back." Charlie said.

"Sometimes I'm too plain spoken and my mouth gets me in trouble." She said honestly. "I'm trying to set the right example for Kayleigh."

Charlie understood that. "But don't ever worry about offending my sensibilities, okay? That's one of the many things I love about you."

She thought about that for a moment, then grinned. "Okay, since you asked…" But it was too late, Jordan came back and handed Charlie a beer.

"When are we going to eat?" Lee asked.

"As soon as the others get here," Charlie told them.

"Did you ever get a handle of the whole 'barbequing Texas style'?" Jordan asked.

"Oh hell, no. I magicked that sucker real fast. It's supposed to let me know when the meat's done. It appears to be quite happy over there." There was an enormous barbeque grill in his back yard charmed to cook the traditional barbeque meats. He tried starting the grill the muggle way but got pissed when he nearly singed his eyebrows. "I'll probably use more magic now than I've done in years. I appreciate my mother more now than ever."

"Have you met your neighbors yet?" Jason asked following Lee up the porch steps.

Charlie nodded. "Some of them. The house next door is full of college students. There are about six people living there."

"Girls or boys?" Lee asked, suddenly interested.

"Girls," Charlie said laughing. "Muggle girls."

Jason and Lee looked at each other, then stole a look at the house to the left. It was a much bigger house, with a neatly trimmed lawn and a high privacy fence in the back.

"They have a swimming pool. It gets real loud at night." Jason and Lee's eyes glazed over. Six college girls in swimming suits (or _naked)_; their young imaginations were working over time. "I started to sleep outside the first night I was here, but it got too loud; all that splashing and loud odd music. Guess I'm getting old."

"Have they invited you over for a swim yet?" Jason asked hopefully.

"I'm never here to talk to, remember? I just come out here on the weekends after practice. But I did meet the couple on the other side. A bit odd, but normal I guess for Austin."

Joanna snorted. "That's like calling the cauldron black." She said.

Charlie laughed, too. "Right."

"Who else did you invite?" Joanna asked. She gave Jordan a side look, making sure.

"Travis and the gang. Amanda and Ricardo are quite joined at the hip right now. He is so whipped." He turned to Jordan. "No offense." He said grinning

Joanna slapped him hard in the chest.

Jordan smile serenely. "It's all right, my darling. I am happily under your spell."

Joanna's look softened. "How sweet," The look he gave her was so tender, Charlie felt like he had interrupted a private moment.

They heard several loud "pops" in their back yard and soon Travis, Curtis, Amanda and Ricardo came out the front door. Charlie greeted them warmly. By now everyone knew everybody else, so there was no need for introductions. Charlie told them to make themselves at home and he gave them a mini-tour of his house. He pointed out the bathrooms and the bedrooms. Amanda and Ricardo looked at each other and Charlie decided they were thinking about houses as well. Travis's first stop was the kitchen. It was a little small for his tastes, but he loved the house.

"I'm going to miss having you around," he said.

"I already miss your cooking." Charlie said. "If it weren't for the barbecue I'd probably starve."

There was a lulled, happy silence for a while as everyone settled in, watching the neighbor's houses. He certainly could get used to this; for all of a second or two.

"Did you invite _her?"_ Joanna started.

"Oy." Charlie said. "That was nice while it lasted. And no, I didn't invite Linda."

Joanna shrugged. "It wouldn't have mattered. You know she knows where you live and she can drop by anytime she wants with her camera. What's going to stop her?"

Charlie flushed slightly. "We, um, made up."

Joanna jumped up. "I knew it! I knew you were going to fuck her. When?"

"When I bought the house. Kind of a house warming, you might say."

Ricardo and Jordan laughed, but Joanna was livid. "She knows too much. And I know you're going to piss her off and she's going to use that against you. Charlie, don't you ever learn?"

"I told her everything." He paused. "Well, I mean she had already figured it out. She's actually a brilliant investigative reporter. Honestly, I don't think the whole thing shouldn't have been hushed up. I'm glad she figured it out."

Ricardo looked at Charlie with a questioning look. "Everything?" He asked cryptically.

Charlie put the bottle of beer to his lips and shook his head slightly before he took a long drink. "Not _everything."_ He said, suddenly quiet. He looked Ricardo in the eyes.

Ricardo nodded knowingly. "_Bueno, _Good."

And so Charlie remained in his muggle house, steeling away when he could on weekends, blissfully happy to be away from his life a "celebrity." He had his friends over and even became acquainted with the college students next door.

His neighbors didn't find him odd, because, he was, after all, in Austin. In fact, he was one of the duller ones. No loud parties, except for the occasional loud pops the neighbors heard from time to time. The neighbors even thought his yard art with the warning: _Caution, watch for dragons_, was amusing.

He traveled with the team while on suspension, but he took that well and was sorely disappointed when the Reds lost their season opener against Sweetwater. The second game was won by the outstanding Reds' chasers against the newest team in the league, Nebraska Native Americans. The seeker, Matt Holman, managed to capture the Golden Snitch, but Joanna, Alicia, and Iris had run up a score too high for Nebraska to win. There was talk around the league that Ryan Smith was going to be traded to the Arctic Circle team. Lee probably started that rumor.

And speaking of Lee, he finally saw the picture the unknown photographer had taken of him in Charlie's bed. Everyone gave him a hard time about it, but like Charlie, he laughed it off.

Linda kept her promise not to disclose any details of the war in the desert after being severely warned by the Department of Magic. She held on to the story, though, waiting for the right moment. No one else had the exclusive story and she knew it was only a matter of time when the Department would change its mind. A new administration was coming soon; perhaps then they would see the importance of warning the public about the real dangers they had faced and the near miss they avoided thanks to Charlie and the Army of the Righteous.

Charlie spent his free time at his house sitting on the front porch swing, drinking beer, waving to his neighbors. He would leave it again after Quidditch season and he returned to the dragon preserve. Jason and Lee asked if they could live there during the off season since he lived on the preserve. Charlie said fine, but not to disturb the neighbors. He didn't want muggle cops showing up at his door at all hours.

How long his feeling of peace would last, he had no idea. Now he was just satisfied to enjoy it while it lasted.


End file.
